Part 5 Blood STained Tears
"S-S-Sachiyo," I sobbed as I collapsed in my big brothers arms with exhaustion,
"KEITII!" he ran forward to catch me as I collapsed and buried my head in to his arms, "Keitii, why are you pushing yourself? You know what will happen if you do,"
"I know ...but... father..."
"Keitii, what has he done, he hasnt hurt you again has he?" I raised my head to look into his eyes that where blood red, like mine,
"N-no, he said that I was not strong and weak people don't deserve to live in our village... h-he said that he w-w-would k-kill me!" I buried my head again or tried to as my brother held me at arms length and I looked up with tears streaming down my face.
"Keitii, you aren't weak, and I told you I will lie to father, I don't want you to die like all the others do," he held me tight, I felt so safe, he rocked me back and forth almost like a child, "Remember, one day we will leave this death trap and go to Sunagakure and start a new life there away from all of this, I promise I will look after you no matter what," I let out a muffled sob, "Lets go back home, I will make you something to eat but I want you to rest whilst I make it, come on," I tried to stand up but collapsed in a heap, breathing heavily, my face screwed up with the pain of my protesting limbs as tears spilled over my already damp face.
"Right then I better carry you, I will get a medical-nin to have a look at you, you do not look in a good state," he haled me up and slung me over his shoulders as he sprinted towards the Hoshikage's manor, which was our home. Ever since I could remember father had been Hoshikage in our village, my father is extremely powerful.
As we arrived on our porch, I remembered before father came into power in our village of Hoshigakure, it was very very small and weak, how it has come on. Sachiyo pushed the wooden panelled doors to my bedroom open, he laid me carefully on my bed, my breathing was still heavy and pain shot through my body as he lay me down, I screamed in pain, it felt as though a thousand hot knives had pierced right through my body. Sachiyo, stroked my hair and made soft shushing noises, "I am going to get Suta-buru, she's a medical-nin and one of the best in our village," he kissed me on the forehead and exited, then my mother came in,
"Oh Keitii, what have you been doing?" she said with concern in her eyes,
"Nothing just. training. I muttered and let my voice trail off,"
"Oh, yes your father said that y-" she stopped as she saw my eyes sparkling, "Your father can be a little harsh at times, but that's what makes him a good leader I suppose," how could anyone love a monster that was my father, my mother even stood up to him once and she never did it again. Ages passed as I stared out into the barren landscape that surrounded my village.
"Keitii, this is Suta-buru, she is the medical-nin that will take care of you," a young woman stood in the doorway, she had short blue hair in a messy bun, with purple eyes and a black and white kimono that represented the medical-nin profession in Hoshigakure. "We will be outside if you need us Keitii and if there is anything you need Suta-buru-san please tell us," Sachiyo led my mother out of the wooden doors,
"I will, but I have everything I need in my case here," she lent over me and she smelt of lavender and sweet herbs, my eyes began to droop as my body gave in.
I was a phoenix flying over the sand dunes, another phoenix beside me had beautiful red and gold plumage, the face turned and it was my brother, Were almost there, Sunagakure here we come, the sun was setting, it was blood red on the horizon, and I saw a beautiful village made of sand, it cast long shadows. Then the village disappeared but the shadows stayed and rose up out of the ground, Sachiyo grasped my wing and turned me, we flew trying to avoid the shadow. Sachiyo was ahead as I felt a cold thing wrap around my ankles and pull me down; I tried to scream but couldn't as its cold sheet of black had grasped my mouth and neck. Sachiyo turned and dived towards me, he tugged my arms, he looked into my eyes and said, "Don't let go," I couldn't breathe I began to spin, down, down, down into a bottomless black pit.
I sat bolt up right, I inhaled sharply as I felt pain in my side. I looked down and saw bandages from my stomach to my ankles, all down my arms, they were everywhere, and I must have looked bad from all these injuries. I heard raised voices coming from the front room; I slid out of bed even though I was just in bandages and a long shirt.
"Putting the star in me and Keitii, no, you are mad father, sick in the head to think this," I gasped and put my free hand over my mouth to muffle it as the other clutched the wooden door frame,
"How dare you, you're lower than me and weaker so don't you go shouting your mouth off Sachiyo,"
"I don't care you seem determined to make Keitii and I more powerful even if it means you loose us! Keitii has been out cold for two days now because of what you said to her!"
"How dare you speak to me like that!" a pause then, BANG! BANG!BANG!
"NO! Stop it!" my mother was obviously there, by the sounds of it my mother couldn't stand anymore of my father beating Sachiyo,
"Get out of the way Hakuta!"
"He's a monster! He almost killed Keitii!" BANG! Then.. a crack split the air and I bit my hand to stop me screaming, tears of fear flooded down my bruised and cut face.
I heard the footsteps of my parents fading away on to the upper floors, when I was sure I was safe from fathers retaliations I slid the door to the front room open. I found my brother lying there, a little pool of blood by his face, it was cut and bruised, and I could see where father had banged him against the wall. I turned to go get Suta-buru, but saw her in the door way, "Keitii, please can you go back and rest, I will tend to your brother," I obeyed and stumbled back to bed, it took me hours to fall back into a doze.
When I woke the next day, I stumbled into my brothers bedroom, my chakra and energy levels must have been low to have sustained this much damage but how much damage had I done? I slid into my brother's room, he was sat up reading a book. When I entered he looked up and smiled, it was strained with pain but he seemed stronger than I was.
"How are you Keitii?"
"I've been better, but how are you? I err, overheard the conversation between you and father last night," I blushed and looked down at my new bandages that Suta-buru changed during the night,
"I'm fine, I still have energy just a broken leg that'll heal in no time with the ointments, I might go out into the village tomorrow or maybe this afternoon as I will be well enough soon,"
"I'd come too but, I am not near enough well to go out, I sighed,"
"No problem I will wheel you around in a wheelchair," he gave me a reassuring smile, I tried to return it the best I could.
A lot of higher ranking ninjas came and went that day, all seemed deeply concerned and I knew something was up. I limped up near my fathers office where I could hear and not be seen,
"So we have scouts out looking for the ninjas from Iwagakure, the last report was that they are 5 miles away, which isn't that long a distance,"
"What do you think Hoshikage-sama?" a voice I recognized as a very high ranking ninja in our village called Daichi,
"Ready all of the ninjas, from the older chunins and upwards, we have to protect the star at all costs, we may have to delay the plan A we agreed on, but this plan will do for now, surround the top above the gas and attack anyone who comes close, I have sent messages warning Konoha and Suna not to come close, we can be sure anyone not from our village who comes near is an enemy, now get moving, they could be here within an hour or 24hours!"
"YES, HOSHIKAGE-SAMA!" they all yelled, I pushed my self back into the shadows so I wasn't seen as all the tall ninjas filed out. So we were being attacked by neighbouring villages, well that was just great on top of everything else, well that explains what plan A is, it must be what I heard last night. I decided to limp back to my brother and tell him.
"-and now Iwagakure is attacking us, which means others may follow not long after, I will fight to show father, what will you do?"
"Well this almost seems like a war is likely, you aren't to go anywhere till you're well, Keitii I am serious and I know you listen to me,"
"Fine,"
"As for me, well I will do anything to protect my loved ones from harm," we turned our heads, we could hear shouting and people calling my mother and father, the Iwagakure ninja must have arrived, "Right, I am going to fight," he flung his clothes on for battle, I stared at him, this couldn't be happening, I was left defenceless,
"What shall I do?"
"Here follow me," he led me through a secret panel in the floor and shoved me in a small room, then we heard shouts and bangs, he kissed me on the forehead and gave me a hug, I crept up on the inside of the walls as I could fit in the gap, I could see what was happening in our house.
I froze with fear as two Iwagakure ninja attacked my mother and brother, each side fighting with ferocity, my brother using the special chakra powers from the star he'd been trained to use. But I knew that was a last resort he was using, he was putting every effort he had into it. Sachiyo was so weakened from last night and my mother was cowering on the floor, with her attacker bearing over her. I clasped my hands over my mouth as a big hand made of rock rose out of the floor and clenched around mother. It crushed her slowly, breaking every bone she possessed. She screamed a shrill chilling note then went silent. Her warm glow disappeared, she hung limp and lifeless. My mother the one who gave me life, the one who taught me, m-my m-mother. Tear spilled over in a torrent, the pain in my heart felt so painful, like it had been torn in two.
The battle still raged between my brother and his attacker, but my brother was growing, weaker, his chakra and energy depleting with every second that passed. But I couldn't move, I just couldn't. I stood and watched my beloved brother fighting for his life, then a huge rock slammed on top of him, crushing him. Making sure he was in pain. He looked into my eyes for one last time. He mouthed the words, Don't let go, as he took his last breath. The blood poured out of the side of his head and mouth. Cold. Dead. Lifeless. My closest and beloved sibling had been taken from this world. No longer would he protect me. No longer would I feel the safety. No longer would he save me. Sachiyo, my brother, best friend, protector.. was gone.
I laid in a heap in the little room under the floorboards for ages, how long for I didn't know or care. Tears of almost deadly pain flooded down in silence. I felt like my soul had died and my heart was shredded into a million pieces. I got up suddenly, and anger coursed through my veins, if it wasn't for my father weakening my brother, Sachiyo could have defended himself and mother. I wasn't going to stay here alone with my monster of a father. The pain almost too much to bear, I stepped over their lifeless dead bodies and ran. The fight was over by the sounds of it. I had no possessions of any personal value. I grabbed a gas mask and crept in the shadows not wanting my father to spot me. I suddenly ran up the side of our village walls and through the gas, I threw the mask off as I would never need it again. I sprinted into the forest, I leaped into the trees jumping from tree to tree. I was going to go where Sachiyo and I were going to go, I was travelling to Sunagakure. I had no-one to slow me down so I went at a fast pace. I soon got through the forest and stepped on to the sand and started my journey to Suna through the desert, like my brother had intended.