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Happy reading!
Chapter Forty-Three: Blackhole Sun
Awakened by the sun shining in my eyes, my first instinct told me something was wrong. For starters, I was in a bed— one that was not mine. This wasn't my room either.
I jolted up, not sure what was going on. Stiffness ran through my body like the rusted Tinman. That's when I noticed my shirt—well, not my shirt— was covered in two healthy streams of dried blood.
It all clicked then. Gachero. His bedroom, his shirt.
His jutsu.
"Fuck," I grumbled. The invisible waves returned but this time with memories; both from recent and distant past.
My body got hit by a supernova, it would seem, and the doctor barely sewed the pieces back together. Limbs hanging by a thread like a broken marionette being a laughing stock at the party. I haven't felt this much pain since the Chunin Exams. Despite it, I dragged myself out of bed.
After successfully finding my clean clothes, I opened the door to the smell of breakfast filling my nostrils. Over the stove was Sensei, frying bacon and eggs.
"Good morning!" he beamed. "I'm glad you're awake. I was worried that you would be out for a while:"
His smile and enthusiasm, plus the smell of food, was causing my stomach to do flips.
"Mornin'." The words barely escaped my lips.
Gachero whistled a cheerful tune while flipping the bacon as I dragged my feet to the dining table and slumped into the chair.
"I don't blame you for being sluggish. That Back to the Past jutsu will leave the strongest of minds that way," he reassured.
"Right…" I sunk into my clothes wishing I could vanish forever.
"Don't be disappointed. We might have only gathered some information." He placed a plate full of eggs and bacon in front of me. "But there's always next time."
There it was again, uneasiness. It wasn't just the smell from the rich food and hangover-like symptoms. It was him. It could be my mind playing tricks but Gachero was happy, too happy. He was lively really.
He didn't need to be sympathetic, I could take care of myself, but his carefree attitude was agitating. He assumed I wanted to go through that again, have my soul ripped fiercely—like claws to flesh—from my body.
All that for barely any clues. All that and no damage to him except a stained shirt and a wisp of disappointment.
If I didn't get out of here, I was going to be sick.
Without warning to him, I pushed the smiley sunny side-up eggs away and left my seat.
Gachero's whistling stopped. "Hey, what's wrong? Where are you going?"
Before he could say more, I was already out the door.
ξ
Out the door and a few blocks later, I was at the Marketplace. Even in the early hours, it was bustling; all noise pollution to my ears.
Faces become blurs to my eyes, everyone a black silhouette. Remnants of past lives haunted me. I was no longer in the Marketplace but in my visions. Figures hovering in front of my eyes; demons praying on my memories. The field, the dark room, the Unknown people. What did it all mean? What did they do to me?
My pulse spiked and while the market was vast, I felt enclosed. Abysmal walls inching closer until I was to be succumbed by gravity through a blackhole. Nothingness.
I sped away as fast as I could, despite the light-headedness. A dreaded cloud hovered not too far behind.
Escaping the Marketplace was liberating as fresh, cold air forced its way into my suffocating lungs. The King of the Jungle lost grip of its meal as it scampered away into underbrush.
That's when I saw him, not the King, but the loyal canine. When a canine spots you, there was no escaping his keen sense of smell.
Kiba.
He froze mid-step, staring hesitantly— longingly. We knew the relationship between us has been rough. Vines and wildlife obscured the dog and mouse. Last time I saw him was during the Preliminaries. When the shit storm whirled around Mae and I. When he scratched me, leaving me with three beautiful battle wounds. When he witness my teammate almost killing me.
But with one look at me, at the disheveled, hellish shape I could only imagine I was in— he approached. I braced myself.
He stood before me and gave me a look that turned my bones to dust.
He stared as if I was broken.
"Hey," Kiba spoke, afraid the word would shatter me on command.
"Hi," I answered. Discomfort set in as he wedged his hands into his pockets.
"How have you been doing?" The sorrow in his voice had the power to crumble me. I wanted to scream, cry, and fold up into myself.
"Could be better," I lied.
Kiba's face twisted as if I cursed him to hell. I knew I was in the most physical pain, but what about the mental?
"Quorra…" his mouth hung open, lost for words. "What I did to you—
"Stop," I interrupted. I didn't want to hear it, but also I didn't think I could handle it.
"No," Kiba spoke loudly, with more confidence. Shame vanished by his signature stubbornness. "You need to hear this. I have been a horrible friend to you. A dipshit asshole that I beat myself everyday over. I never wanted to hurt you."
He glanced at my scars. I was never bothered by them. They were tics on my life journey; markings on a tree as it continued to grow. But the way he pointing them out, they might has well have been craters of boiling lava scorching me. Self-conscious.
"Just drop it, okay? It's water under the bridge. It was an accident." I needed to escape. The walls were closing in again and this time I feared I wouldn't escape.
Kiba shook his head. "That's no excuse. I let my hot-headed ego get the best of me and hurt someone I cared about in the process."
"If you cared, you wouldn't have left me to rot alone in the hospital!" We reciprocated looks of horror wanting to take back words I never meant. I was suffocating, gasping and saying anything just to get away.
The low blow comment bit deep. "I thought you needed space…" The words lost their momentum and trickled into bubbles of confusion. "I'm such an idiot."
My mouth hung open like a fish out of water. Images flashed before my eyes. The fields on fire, a dark place with straps bounding me. Eyes! Green eyes wanted me to find them. To stop wasting time before it was too late.
It was all too much.
The last image was of Dosu. The look of terror in his eyes as Gaara from the Sand crushed every living cell in his body into a pulverized mush.
I yipped, shielding myself in spite of knowing this wasn't real. Blood still sprayed me.
I couldn't endure this any longer and Kiba read it.
"Quorra… Are you okay?"
Words couldn't come out and I shook from fatigue.
"Kiba? Where'd you go?" called a voice.
Just a distance away was a girl carrying a full basket of food. Alongside her was Akamaru wagging his tail with excitement.
Mae giggled at the hyperactive pup, but as soon as her eyes landed on my presence, her laughter dissipated, like a popped balloon.
I felt the tidal wave emulating from her, threatening to knock me over. How we started out as strangers who became teammates and best friends to this. I didn't even know what this was.
Running through me was the words of the Hokage and how it was crucial to understand both sides of the story. Deep down, I really, truly wanted to believe that. That Mae had a reason for all that has happened between us.
The way she was staring at me though, as if I was a monster from her mind ready to claw at her. My heart quivered at the thought. Was I a monster?
But I couldn't find out, not now. I didn't know how much longer I could last.
"I gotta go," I spoke more panicked than I would have liked.
"Quorra, wait—
His hand rose to stop me, but I rushed past him.
At a far, safe distance, I was stupid enough to look back. They now stood side-by-side. Mae hugged her food basket tightly despite an apple rolling on the floor. Akamaru was chewing mindlessly at it. Kiba had a supporting hand on her thin shoulder which she leaned idly into.
With them being the perfect happy little supportive family staring at the troll trudge away from the sunlight.
I feared the damage was permanent.
Sorry this chapter was so short. Originally, this chapter was no near done but with a new job, I work 50+ hours a week now. It's so frustrating because I know what I want to write but time is limited. I couldn't leave you guys hanging any longer so this is all that I accumulated over the past month. Would you guys rather wait longer to get my "full-length" chapters or get more frequent shorter chapters, let me know!
xo