Overcoming Fear

[Bexhex]

Chapter One: A Dream is Just a Dream right?

Please spoiler read prior to the storyShow

The following lonely is a horror story and as such, depicts violence, and some gore please be advised

Amaki found herself standing in the large husk of a burnt down building. The roof had long ago collapsed exposing the dark cloudy and raining night sky above. The walls still seemed to be intact, blackened soot lining them, causing old ornamental flowery wallpaper to begin peeling back, warping the images on the walls. There was a familiarity of the building that she couldn't quite put her finger on, it was like she had been here before, once upon a time. She carefully traversed the halls, dodging droplets of rain as they fell onto her bare shoulders. It was odd not only had she not been wearing the coat she always wore, she also could not recall how it was she ended up in the building. The wooden floors felt gritty and wet under feet as she traversed the main floor of the house. Large areas had been burnt to a near crisp. Each step the floor boards would creak, and it felt as if the brittle wood would break away at any moment. Amaki, out of bravery or curiosity, continued through the house. Burnt portraits lining the halls, the images, of course, unrecognizable, she could vaguely make out the images enough to assume them to be of a once happy family. The building must have been a large residential home. Slowly she checked each room on the main floor. Many things were sprawled everywhere, Items hastily dropped or left behind when the family ran from the consuming fire. The areas of the large house that weren’t destroyed or covered in dust, and mold, with traces of local miscreants who had defaced the once beautiful building.

Amaki still couldn’t recall why she was here. The odd fit of amnesia she felt was intense. Had she wandered in here, did she fall, did she seek shelter from the rain? Every way she looked at it no answer felt right. It was an odd feeling like she was at home yet the place was unrecognizable to her. She felt if she looked around maybe her memory would jog, and so she traversed the halls, to the families bedrooms. As she approached, the walls here were pretty intact, aside from the mold and smoke damage most of the rooms remained in a nicer condition then the rest of the house. There were four rooms circling the end of the hall, two on the left missing their doors, one on the right with a door broken off its latch, and the last of the right the door shut tightly.

Peering into the rooms on the left, she saw the tattered remains of the beds that once sat here, ornate pictures scared and mangled by some denizen or maybe vagrants in the area. Stepping in she noticed the wall between the two left rooms was collapsing, she surmised this was the parents room and perhaps a room for grandparents or another older family member. They were lined with what once were the decorations of someone more mature. The far corner a large mirror sat attached to another small desk. She looked into it, peering into the one eyed reflection staring back at her. Amaki was hit with a wave of nostalgia, her mother had something like this. She would sit with her mother while she dolled herself up each day, before her father returned home from a long day. The ornate design of silver mixed with the reflective mirror made it glow in the afternoon sun. Amaki looked in the mirror and saw her makeup, the small amount she would use, covering up the blemishes like her mother had taught her, the small wings applied to her eyes with liner, and extenuating her eyelashes. She let out an empty laugh that echoed across the main floor. She had it much easier than her mother, she thought, only one eye to worry about. She began to let out a small chuckle, when she saw a shadow dash across the scape that was behind her. Startled Amaki whipped around to face whatever it was her heart racing, hand reaching for the pouch around her leg holding her kunai and shuriken.

Amaki turned to see a young girl in a black night gown staring up at her, her long brunette hair flowing down to her hips, and to piercing blue eyes staring up at her filled with tears, and reddened as if she had been crying recently. The young girl had to have been young maybe six or seven, perhaps nine? Amaki felt saddened, the poor girl must be a vagrant looking to stay out of the rain. “Hey, little one,” Amaki said, kneeling down to eye level with the girl, “what are you doing-,” the young girl quickly cut Amaki off with a loud sniffle. “M-momma, are you momma,” the young blue eyed girl said. Her speech was lacking for a child her age, leading Amaki to believe that maybe the child had been alone for a lot longer than she had any reason to be. “I-I’m sorry, I’m not your momma, but we can—,” again Amaki found herself cut off of words as the little girl began to sob. “W-w-where is my momma, I haven’t seen my momma, s-she… does her makeup like you, she is a nice lady. She went missing… with daddy!” The little girl said through a waterfall of tears her pale face had gone red and she was choking up between the words. Amaki slowly approached the child, and gently put her arms around her. “It’s okay, its okay, little one I’m sure they haven't gotten far. Where is your home, maybe you all just got separated near here,” Amaki comforted the girl slowly putting her back the child hugged her back tightly. Slowly she started to quiet down and looking up at Amaki, she said, “Momma looks just like you but with two eyes, and a tiny bit taller, daddy is tall with black hair, and blue eyes. He smells really good too, kinda like momma but fancy.” Amaki found herself chuckling as the little girl spoke to her. It reminded her of when she was little. Saying such silly descriptions of people, innocent descriptions that would mean nothing to others. Amaki looked at the young girl and asked again “Can you show me where you live, maybe Momma and Daddy returned back home?” The little girl shook her head with a sad look, and pointed to the floor. “We live here, but I can’t find them. Daddy shouldn't be home yet, but momma….” Amaki felt her heart sink as the girl revealed this was her home feeling unsettled by the revelation. The girl pointed to the makeup mirror, “Momma usually does her makeup before Daddy gets home,” Amaki turned looking from the mirror to the girl, the child had taken several steps back. Her left eye missing from an empty socket, blood pouring from where a beautiful blue eye once sat. She cried out a glass shattering scream in agony, looking at Amaki, before turning and running from the her through the broken wall to the next room and out into the hall, she could here the door close out in the hall. Followed by the pained sobbing, that Amaki remembered all to well. “I-I-IT HURT’S, PLEASE….. NO MORE…, ,MOMMA, HELP ME WHERE ARE YOU,” the girl’s muffled cries coming from the other room.

Amaki felt terror, this place this, building, this house…. It was her childhood home. That little girl was her, how could that be, Amaki quickly ran through the possible solutions to the problem at hand, she must be under a genjutsu, that must be it. That's all this could be, this was impossible. She pressed her hands together forming the hand seals for release. Muttering release, she tried to break through the genjutsu, but she felt her chakra go out and dissipate as quickly as it moved outward. The young version of her, chuckled eerily… as Amaki put her hands to her sides. The child's laughter grew, and she could hear the child rolling on the floor in the other room. Pounding the door as the chuckle went from eerie to maniacal. Amaki stood up readied a kunai and walked out into the hall. “That isn’t going to work here,” the child said as Amaki approached the closed door. She put her hand on the knob and as soon as that happened the laughter stopped, and there was a loud sound, a viceral flesh ripping sound, followed by a loud cracking sound of bones breaking. Slowly she opened the door, there sat her younger self. Laying on the floor broken and mangled, arms twisted, and legs contorted in a way that was inhuman. On her face a large fanged grin sat, no longer did the child look innocent, laying in a pool of blood coagulating from a mixture of too lumps of flesh that lay in the room adjacent to each other. Her body slowly bubbled, and faded, leaving behind a puddle reflecting a large demonic eye staring out to her. The laughter of the child was replaced with a distorted deep voice chuckling amused, as the blood glowed, a long distorted red arm reached out from the pools reflection. Amaki backed away, tripping over the gritty wood floor, as the hand pursued her further into the hallway. She Scrambled trying to scream, before the hand grabbed hold of her by the neck snuffing out any chance of screaming for help.

She kicked and pulled on the hand as she was slowly dragged from the hall to the pool within the room. The chuckling grew louder and louder and into a terrifying cackle as she slowly was brought to it, her body scraping along the gritty splintered floor she could feel splinters digging into her soft skin, but her screams were silenced by the hand as it tightened around her neck. She reached out and dug her nails into the floorboards. She was only a few feet away from the pool. The copper scent of blood filled her nose, utter terror flowed through Amaki as her vision slowly blurred and her heart raced. Her nails dug deep into the wood she felt the arm slow significantly. However, before she got a moment to feel her small victory the arm slacked. Then with a hard yank she felt the nails tear off her fingers one by one ripping outward from her flesh. The arm yanked hard and harder till every finger lost its grip on the floorboards. Blood ran from the now empty cuticles and every path of escape had been lost, she looked up, felt the hard breath of a large toothy maw sitting over her head. As terror filled her eyes the maw began to shut slowly over her upper torso; she reflexively covered her face, as the fangs dug deeply into her arms she felt the weight of the jaws begin to crush her chest and then…

Amaki awoke in a panic as her head hit the floor alongside her bed. Her arms outstretched attempting to cover her body from impending doom. She paused for a moment before realizing she had been screaming in her sleep. She toppled the rest of the way to the floor and sat up, panic slowly subsiding and filling her head with logic, Another nightmare, she thought to herself. She let out a loud sigh, and stood up, before there was a loud knock at the door. Startled, she walked over to the door and peered through the peephole. She saw the old wrinkly silhouette of her neighbor, Mrs. Aiko. She sighed and opened the door unguarded, revealing herself to the older woman in the oversized night shirt that covered herself down to her knees. “Are you okay little one, I heard a lot of screaming again, was everything okay? No one is in here hurting you are they?” the old woman said as she peaked around Amaki’s shoulder peering into the dark room.

The old woman was like a grandmother to her, or well what she imagined a grandmother to be. Her graying hair which was usually tied up into a tight bun hung down to her shoulders gently relaxed on either side. Her wrinkly face held a bright smile, but she knew the old woman was not one to mess with, she was known for chasing tenants out of here when things got out of hand. Honestly she was scarier than the terror in her dreams when she was angry, but Amaki was always taken care of when the lady was around. “I’m okay Mrs Aiko, just a really bad dream,” Amaki said with a bow, and a slight awkward chuckle, “I’m sorry if i woke you from a pleasant one,” she said hoping to appeal to the woman’s motherly nature as not to invoke her wrath for disturbing her nights rest.

“Oh little Ina, you had left your window open it seems, I’m sure that a young child like you still suffers from night terrors, I used to hear you frequently when you first moved in and it seems to have gotten better in recent years. But i can’t have you running the other tenants of the building out,” Aiko said with a concerned look on her face, “If push comes to shove I will be left with no choice but to evict you, and my husband and I enjoy your company from time to time,” her words filled with both concern and worry.

Amaki wasn’t upset by that she understood, Mrs. Aiko had been very accepting over the years and she didn’t want to cause problems. “I’m sorry I’ll make sure to close up better before I go to bed, the last few days have been busy and I must have forgotten,” Amaki said in a sad tone. She wasn’t angry or upset but she was filled with worry, if she didn’t keep herself under control, she would be looking for a new home next. A stress that she didn’t want to deal with. “Well then if you are okay, just remember we are downstairs if ever you need to talk," Aiko said as she turned walking down the hallway. Amaki closed her door, walked over to get a drink of water then proceeded to splash her face in her bathroom sink. She looked up into the mirror, her one eye looked tired from the sleepless nights. The nightmares had never gotten better; they have only gotten worse over the years, since her visit in the hospital. She stared idly at her reflection, worry was beginning to set into her face. It was eating away at her when she heard the voice,

"She won’t miss you… you are alone…."
A familiar garbled and dry voice resounded in the bathroom. She looked around as if something stood behind her but she saw nothing. She stood there just as lonely as she always was when she was home. She must be going crazy, hearing voices now? Nightmares were one thing, but voices were another. She looked back to the mirror and was met with the pale humanoid-like being standing behind her. Its hair fell down in a long straight dark silhouette, with one singular horn sticking out of the left side of its head. Amaki froze, as the thing breathed heavy, and fast. It stood contorted in a manner like it was a corpse filled with rigor mortis. Amaki shakily balled her hand into a fist, she could feel the air against her skin as the creature huffed rapidly. She stared, afraid to move, afraid to blink, her eye drying in the air. Should she dart for the exit, should she run, or improvise a weapon? Was the thing even physically there? Her eye began to water and the eyelid against her will closed before she opened it again.

There in her face pressed against the otherside of the mirror like it was in some far off world on the otherside, it stood face pressed against the edge, showing the face of her long dead mother, rotted, with maggots crawling out her bloated skin. Her eyes were filled with an intense hatred, bloodshot, and bleeding a thick black ooze, while her mouth was twisted in a large toothy grin open mouth grin. The unsettling image caused Amaki to fall back in surprise, yet the reflection had disappeared revealing nothing but the room within its vision. Amaki began to bawl dry heaving as her empty stomach produced nothing but water onto the floor near her. “Why, why can I not get a single night's rest,” she cried as the image of her mother who was long gone, and since devoured appeared in some unholy demonic form stuck on the other side of the mirror, was now burned into her memory. She bawled until she passed out exhausted from a mixture of lack of sleep and the extent of her insanity that was this night. This time she dreamed nothing, a black eternity, that as soon as she had fallen asleep she found herself fluttering her eyes open, the sunlight having peered into the bathroom through a nearby window.

[Bexhex]

Chapter Two: Light At The End Of The Tunnel

The sky was dark and gloomy as it hung over the mountain village of Kumo. The dull grey clouds twisted across the many platforms as they blocked out what little sun was trying to penetrate through. This, of course, did nothing to ease Amaki’s troubled mind. Her head was still spinning from the aftermath of her most recent dreams. I must be going crazy, nightmares every night, and now i'm seeing things she thought to herself letting out a deep shudder as she imagined the sight of the flesh mottled corpse on the other side of the mirror. It was several days since that encounter and she hadn’t had any other similar instances, but she found it hard to sleep and relax. She feared each time she closed her eyes the monster would be staring at her, face to face, ready to drag her off into some unknown world.

She perked up a bit as she walked along the cat-walk that lay between two separate platforms. She looked down seeing the many lit lamps that shone through the dark clouds below her. It reminded her of when she was little walking alongside her mother on these very same platforms. The deep abyss below each of the catwalks had frightened her as a child, she would always grab hold of her mother tightly for fear she might fall. She pulled the tattered remains of her mothers coat around her tightly, still smelling the faint smell of her mothers perfume, that had now, mixed with sweat and dirt from her missions since becoming a shinobi. She leaned over against a railing alongside her path still staring down into the abyss. She wondered when the fear really left her, falling off a platform was easy and it would result in a definite end but somehow that seemed trivial now. She closed her eyes imagining slowly sliding off the edge as she fell down into the dark fluffy clouds below. The enticing look they gave like soft, fluffy cotton balls, that would take her far away as she floated from all the horrifying realities she had faced till now. Perhaps they would fly her to some far off land where her parents were still alive and she still enjoyed sweets with mother on brunch days, or listening to her father’s stories. Even more desirable than those was a place to finally rest free from the oni, the woman behind the mirror, a place so far away that even the nightmares couldn’t reach her anymore.

”Ha-ha-ha,” she let out a loud laugh that slowly faded to a small chuckle. ”As if there were a place like that. I’d have run away a long time ago,” she joked.

”Make the best of the cards we have, I still have plenty of time, missing a few days rest is no big deal,” she said as she stretched her arms out over her head. She took in a deep breath of air through her nose. The scent of petrichor filling her nostrils, surely from rainfall below the mountain. It was a welcomed scent, it made her feel safe, like she was tucked away at home in front of a warm fire covered in blankets. She again pulled her torn jacket tight around her and turned to finish her walk over to the next platform.

She lightly hummed to herself, even if her mind was filled with dark thoughts it wouldn’t be long before she would forget all those. She was meeting Shizune, in her favorite little spot, the cafe/bakery that she so dearly loved. She was finally able to share it with Zuzu-chan, and she couldn’t be more excited. She already had her spot in the bakery picked, a small little nook that had large partitions, a place the little shinobi could freely eat without being too noticed. She knew Zuzu-chan hated eating in public, but Amaki didn’t know what to do other than eat delicious food, so she dragged her friend along, with the intent to at least make her comfortable. She looked at a nearby clock that hung idly off a streetlamp it read five minutes till ten in the morning, and her heart lurched. ”I’M LATE…,” she bellowed as she darted out across the platform bobbing and weaving between the strangers that walked back and forth. ”Ahhh Damnit, I always straggle behind like this, whyyyyy,” she hollered between breaths as she hopped up several stairs at a time, skipping many in between.

Amaki looked out in the direction of the bakery; it was on the far east side, and she had several more catwalks to cross before reaching that platform. She knew she would be late the only way she would be able to make it just a tad late versus several minutes was if she took a shortcut. She looked around knowing full well that Kumo had many passages and back alleys that dug between the many buildings, that sat stacked and hidden against the mountain. She knew there was one near her that she would frequently take, especially when she was younger to avoid the freestanding catwalks. She made a dead stop, startling the onlookers nearby, as she put her hand up to her forehead and looked at the walls in the platform. Following the pipework that wrapped around a large several story building she saw it. A small alleyway that the cast iron pipes slithered deep into. Surely one of many old pathways that had been refitted to become a maintenance tunnel in the past. Now it only served as a small forgotten road that hugged tightly to the mountain avoiding all the high traffic areas. She walked over hopped up onto a small dumpster, below the set of cast iron pipes, hiked herself up and over swinging onto the pipe and walking cat-like for her little balancing act. She scurried her way to the hole in the wall, the five foot opening sitting twelve feet off the platform, sat open like a jaw ready to swallow anyone and anything that stepped into it. She swung down using her momentum, kicked her legs in and tumbled with a roll into the dark path that led ahead of her.

Amaki recollected herself brushing dust off her clothing and patting down her body, it must have been years since someone walked through this tunnel. It spanned out far into the distance, darkness overcoming nearly every inch of the long twisting corridor. There was just enough light to get a sense of self, with small pillars of light shining through holes in the walls, or cracks that led to the daylight outside. On a normal bright day the tunnel would light up much better, but on a dull cloudy day like today, it was nothing but dark, and ominous. The pungent smell of mold and damp air made Amaki’s face twist and contort like she ate something sour. The damp air that filled the tunnel was warm, too warm in fact, making one sweat in the muggy thick air. In the dark, one could hear the faint rumble of steam, and hot vapour as it barrelled through the pipes, spurting out of small cracks and openings that had formed on the pipeline. No less from some maintenance worker who slacked off in his duties. She pulled her hair back into a tight, albeit small bun, keeping her hair out of her face was a priority with only one eye to work with, it could be disastrous if she were to suffer an injury to her good eye by some unforeseen danger like a stray pipe.

She lifted herself to a hunch, and began heading in the direction she believed would spit her out near her bakery. Her excitement, not only to eat sweets and drink even sweeter beverages but to see her friend, built up a courage that she definitely needed in the moment. She began a small trod, making sure to keep her head low as not to hit the ceiling as she shimmied past a multitude of pipes that converged here in the path. After a minute or two the ceiling opened up revealing a large chasm of manmade brick, metal, and plaster. She finally could stretch now that she had stepped out in the large, yet thin, corridor. ”Gah, sooo much better, it should be smooth sailing now,” she said as her neck cracked from her stretching.
She could see a fork in the path as she walked up, one led back out into a small alleyway that was the last building on the platform before a large catwalk. The other spanned around the cliffside, by several buildings that lined the side of the mountain to the next. If she followed this she would be able to get to where she wanted to go but there would be few places to pop out so it would commit her to this path. She paused for a moment, some uneasy feeling keeping her from going down the darker route, but she quickly waved that away as she let her excitement for her friend date overtake her. She outstretched her hand gripping a piece of brick as she slid her other hand along the otherside of the wall, diving into the darkness that lay outstretched in front of her.

She maintained that walk for the next few minutes, sliding one hand forward then her foot followed by the other foot and then her other hand. It certainly wasn’t the fastest but it was definitely the safest. The tunnel ceiling would sneak back after a few minutes of shuffling, getting Amaki to a point where she would have to crawl. Worse still, the sides began to move inwards as she travelled making her have to shimmy and squirm between pipes to get passed, it would slow her down a little, but no worse than the stairways and bridges she would have to cross outside of here. The deeper she travelled into the dark passage however the ominous feeling grew. At times she began to feel like she should turn back, with other times it feeling like something was staring at her just outside her reach in the dark. It was all the more reason for her to move quickly, as those emotions began to overwhelm her.

Her efforts, however, began to pay off as she saw the light appear as she rounded a corner. It was small but big enough to alert her that it was an opening, and it was definitely in the direction she was looking for. Perhaps three or four more minutes of shuffling and she would be out. She took a moment to wipe her brow, sweat dripping down off loose hairs mixed with steam and dust, had begun to cover her face. She used a small corner of her jacket wiping away the salty dirty mix before she heard that rumble of pipes back behind her. Rumble....rumble followed by a loud metal clang, no doubt a small pipe bursting but it was enough to make Amaki suddenly jolt up, banging her head on the upper pipes that were still sitting overhead. ”OUCH!!,” she said as she quickly fell back holding the back of her head. She rolled back and forth on the floor of the passageway for a few moments before she realized, the rumbling wasn’t stopping..!. She froze, unsure of what was going on she looked back down the path from where she came, the darkness thick almost as if it were moving, writhing just beyond her touch. She quickly rolled over back into her crawl, and briskly began moving out towards the light. The rumble continued to grow, the loud pangs of banging metal, like something heavy was pressing into the pipework as it travelled fast barrelling towards her. She imagined it was more of the bursting pipe but she did not dare let her imagination run wild, she just continued to crawl, hoping to outrun whatever was headed in her direction. To her horror, however she realized why the opening seemed so small, the pipework converged to a small hole that had to be shimmied across with barely any wiggle room. Amaki didn’t give it any thought as she heard the loud panging and rumbles grow louder to the point they almost hurt her ears. She crawled in head first pushing her arms through, leveraging herself by pipes on the other side. As she pulled herself through inch by inch, wiggling, and squirming till she reached her hips. Her heart sank, her hips were stuck where her coat had bunched up caught on a stray jagged pipe on the other side. The rumbling grew louder but this time something different was heard, loud jumbled whispers, that called out as the rumbling seemed to overcome her.

Amaki…..Amaki…. Comere…. Amaki…. The voices continued to whisper loudly as they approached. Amaki scrambled, pulling onto everything and anything she could, but nothing she did allowed her to budge. She pushed back hoping to unhook her mess of a coat, but she panicked and instead channeled jikiton down to her hand, then shimming it to the pipe she tapped it followed by a sturdier pipe above. The two magnetized pipes began to bend towards each other; she could feel it pulling against her tight, before it tore through the jacket and ripped a piece of her bare thigh as blood began to run down her leg. Amaki would have cried out in pain if not for her panic. On pure adrenalin she gave herself another tug pulling herself through the small opening in time only to look back and see what had come barreling towards her.

A loud boom followed by a bang, whatever was beyond those pipes slammed hard into them. The many pipes bent inward and some began spilling out steam into the small corridor that had now opened up again, this time to a 7 foot hall. Looking back at the small opening Amaki felt the urge to twist and turn but instead was paralyzed by raw fear. What met her gaze was not some creature but perhaps many, or maybe one… Writhing through the hole, and between the pipework, were many, mottled grey flesh arms grasping for her. Clawing at the air, and yanking onto pipes as it tried to pull harder. the yellow and black finger nails that lined the hands dug deep into the pipes and bricks breaking in placed as it tried to force itself through. The smell of decay, rot, and the thick smell of copper filled the air, Choking Amaki each time she took a deep breath. The sounds of the nails and scratches piercing her eardrums as it clawed deeper and deeper. The whispers still jumbled, continued to call out to her, beckoning her to come back to get her coat, to which had by this point been abandoned to the ratway. Amaki shuffled back, out of reach, still paralyzed by fear. The mottled corpse-like hands still reached out towards her before they receded slowly back into the darkness. Then it was silent, silent for awhile, minutes passed, all that was heard was the dripping sound of condensation, and the sound of steam escaping pipes in a loud whistle. However Amaki was afraid to move. The smell, that overpowering rotten smell, still permeated the air, she was about to move before....


BANG….

The sound that suddenly permeated the corridor, followed by another, then another… then finally… the snapping of pipes as whatever was on the other side laid itself against the metalwork. Gently the hands reached out grabbing onto the bars like a prisoner beyond a jail cell, three elongated arms gently pulled out the torn tattered jacket, the one remaining heirloom of her mothers, and placed it onto the ground in front of the piping, before they receded inward. The whispering returned as the hands all disappeared from the bars one by one. What was left on the other side peering back at her were several sets of glowing silver eyes, and then in uniform all the voices snickered before receding further into the darkness and with it the horrid smell that came with them. Amaki remained frozen, she wanted to run but she couldn’t leave her jacket. She reached over to find a piece of loose pipe and after several minutes as if it were somehow safer she reached outward and dragged her jacket close enough that she could pick it up. She then hurried outward down the corridor and outward into the daylight clutching the jacket tightly to her chest.
She stepped out of the ratway by ducking under a low hanging wall. She had hoped that the clouds would have shifted to reveal a beautiful sunny day, but her hopes were dashed as she stepped out into the rain. The cold water droplets drizzled down off her head saturating her top and her hair leaving it a sweaty and wet mess. She let down her hair and shook her head freeing up all the ends, and looked around. Many were running for shelter, but after the encounter she just had the cool mountain air and rain made her feel relieved, she thought everything was over, yet here she was still standing. She giggled, leaning back against the alleyway wall, in a crazed happiness as her adrenalin wore off. She felt the bite of her wound return to her thigh, looking down she saw a deep gash, one that seemingly didn’t show anything to have concern over, that is until she put weight on it. Pain shot up her leg and the back of her spine, almost immediately, as more blood began to seep from the wound. The exposed flesh torn as the pipe earlier had ripped not only from the jacket but from alongside her as well. Rust colored grit lining the wound as she brushed away the dirt, and wiped off the blood. If this were outside of the village there would be more to worry about, but for now, Amaki figured she could tie some cloth around it to stop the bleeding then freshen up at the cafe maybe clean it in the bathroom.

She took the bottom of her jacket, seeing it more torn than usual and ripped a piece off the bottom, proceeding to gently wrap the wound. Blood slowly saturated the cloth but the pressure She fanned it out on the wet ground, and the text wrote, ”We can’t wait till you come home,” the words sat scrawled in her own blood. Amaki reflexively tossed the now tattered coat to the other side of the alley before slowly crawling over and checking again. It was real sitting there on her jacket was the writing of that monster…

”Wh-what the hell…,” she uttered those words, as anger welled up inside her. She turned and held up her hand exposing her middle finger to the ratway, ”Fuck You,” she muttered under her breath as she picked up her bloodstained jacket and hobbled out of the alley way. She needed to talk to Shizune, the girl was a great friend who would understand her, perhaps it was the first time she would share her curse, maybe the young shinobi knew some secrets to help her overcome what was following her. She dearly hoped if nothing else it would be enough to get her mind off of the horrors she witnessed.

She made her way towards the bakery. She was only fifteen minutes late, which was better than the thirty she would have been. She expected to see Shizune standing there waiting for her, but unlike the many times the girl had surprised her in the past, this time, she was nowhere to be seen. She walked into the cafe and approached the counter, a tall thin man stood behind the counter his hair disheveled and his face just beginning to show some small scruff that must have just started growing, eyes looked back at her and she was transfixed for a moment, and the mixe of browns, greens, and yellows that his beautiful hazel eyes contained. ”How can I help you Miss,” he said, his voice soft and sultry. Amaki for the briefest of moments recollected herself and asked, ”I.. I uhm.. I’m looking for another girl, I didn’t see her outside. I thought maybe she came in here instead… young girl wears a mask?,” Amaki sort of muttered the words waving her hand in front of her face to simulate a mask. The boy shook his head, ”I haven’t seen anyone like that today, I can seat you and let you know when she is here,” he said, his voice sounded empathetic but it didn’t ease the gut piercing feeling Amaki felt. Shizune didn’t come, and here she was alone, again, food suddenly didn’t sound good. She felt there was nothing that could change this sour taste that had formed in her mouth, and she remembered the words uttered by the woman on the other side of the mirror, ”she won’t miss you, you are alone,” it still echoed in her head.

Amaki didn’t answer the boy, instead she turned and walked outside the cafe stepping out towards the platform. She stood in the rain, looking out into the city, water cascading all around her off platforms and buildings like waterfalls. Looking up she closed her eyes, she couldn’t tell if it was water from the rain or actual tears. ”I guess it’s for the best, she wouldn’t believe me anyways, heh,” she muttered barely audible over the heavy rain. She held her jacket close to her chest, afraid to put it on but too afraid to let it go. Her body was drenched, she looked over the edge and again imagined falling, the feeling of her stomach lurching to her chest as she fell, riding the small waterfalls that had formed down into the dark clouds below. But before she could picture anything more, she heard the sound of pitter patter as the rain bounced off an umbrella, her head no longer being pelted by the rain. ”Why don’t you come back inside Miss, at least let me get you some warm clothes and then you can have a small bite, my treat..” said the voice of the boy who was in the bakery his face held nothing but a warm smile. Her eyes, watery as they were, looked up to him as she held out a hand, the handsome boy who was most likely older than her, helped lift her up with his free hand, and walked with her. The umbrella was large enough for the both of them, and Amaki quickly found herself blushing as they made their way towards the bakery. ”By the way Miss, I didn’t catch your name. I’m Hikaru,” he said as he looked over to her. She met his gaze, looking up at him still, ”I-I’m Amaki, It’s wonderful to meet you..,” she said with a blushed smile, as the veil of her self-misery began to lift. She finally felt she found a light at the end of the tunnel.

oocShow

*Jikiton • Draw
D-Ranked Jikiton Jutsu
After performing the required hand seals, the user will reach toward a metallic or magnetized object within 10 metres of the user. The target will be drawn to the user at [Control] speed, but can be held in place with [Control] strength.

*Jikiton • Polar Contact
D-Ranked Jikiton Nintaijutsu
The user will perform the necessary hand seals before coating their hand or weapon in Jikiton chakra. For 3 posts, strikes with the fist or weapon will leave behind magnetized patches upon things they strike, equal to the size of the contact.