Dead (IO, P, NK, Sora)

Hanako nearly skipped down the sidewalk to her house, a large smile spread across her lips. Today had been… really nice, to say the least. It had been raining very lightly when she awoke, and when it cleared up, it had been sunny yet still cool. That had automatically put her in a good mood. Daiki hadn’t been home, neither had Akemi, so she’d had a few hours to herself. That was really nice. Upon going to lunch at Maki’s, the genin had run into some old friends from the academy. They had eaten lunch together as a group, reliving some memories and chatting the day away. Two hours flew by, and by the time Hanako had left the diner, her mood was through the roof. A walk through the mountains did nothing to lower it, either. The last three hours of hers had been spent at the park, playing with her Gaton.  She’d listened as the sun began to set, birds singing and children playing. Hanako hadn’t been so purly happy in nearly two years, she was sure of it. Nothing could harbor her mood today. Absolutely nothing!
 
Fate just loved to test her, huh?
 
As soon as Hanako opened the front door, she knew something was wrong. The smile slid from her lips as she stepped through quietly. The sickening smell of blood – an odor she knew all too well – flooded her nose. She followed the smell like an expert. IT lead her into the hallway. She continued down the corridor, mind reeling and eyes wide and she tried to figure out what had happened, until she tripped over something stiff and cold. No, not cold. This this was freezing. Hanako hit her hands and knees, wincing as she heard a puddle of blood around her slosh. Was this… No, it couldn’t be. It wasn’t.
 
No no no no no no no…
 
Hanako turned toward the… lump, and reached her hand out. She was met with frozen skin and blood. Lots and lots of blood. It was a body, that she was sure of. She moved her hand upwards a bit until she came across a deep gash. The person’s throat was slit, and deeply at that. Her other hand came around and felt at the ground. She was met with long, sticky hair, no doubt drenched with blood. Her hand moved up to the face of the person…
 
Hanako screamed.
 
“MOM! MOM WAKE UP! YOU’RE NOT DEAD MOM WAKE UP!!! IM SORRY OKAY IM SORRY JUST WAKE UP!!!” the girl screamed. Her eyes were wide and frantic and she clutched her mother’s cold face. When she was met with no answer, the child screamed again and slowly backed away. Her back hit the wall as tears streamed down her face, the girl chocking on sobs. Akemi was dead. Her mother was dead. She was alone now with Daiki. Her mother had left her and she was alone now. Akemi was never coming back. She might have hated Daiki, but even then, she still loved him. She’d never hated Akemi, even with her habits and her yelling. She’d only loved her mother. But now…
 
Her mom was dead.
 
Hanako’s hands reached out, searching frantically. Forwhat, the girl was not sure. However, she was soon met with a cold hand. It clasped a small slip of paper, which was carefully removed. Hanako trailed her fingers over the words, tears only intensifying as she read. The writing was sloppy, but she could read it all the same.
 

Dear Hanako,
          If you’re reading this, it means I’m gone now. You’re probably smiling, now that I’m gone, and I don’t blame you one bit. I knew Daiki was planning this murder for a long time now; I could see it in his eyes. That’s why I wrote this note. I don’t know, maybe I was ready to go. Maybe I was just so sick and tired of making these mistakes over and over again. Maybe I was too scared to do anything about it. But I want you to know one thing, one last thing before the curtains close on us.

          Hanako, I always loved you. It took me a long time to realize it, but I think I always did. I was scared though, so I never really showed it. Not when you were awake, anyway. I was too afraid you would hate me for all the things I’ve done and all the things I’ve let your father do. I want you to know that I am so, so sorry I never told you. You never did anything wrong, Hanako, not matter what anyone tells you. You aren’t a mistake. I don’t know why, but you came into this world for a reason. Make sure you fulfill whatever purpose you were sent for. I’m so deeply sorry for everything that happened, and I wish I could take back every awful thing I said to you. It’s okay if you never forgive me for this, but I want you to know that I love you and that I’m sorry. Stay strong, and don’t let Daiki hurt you anymore.
 
         All my love,

                 Your mother, Akemi.
 

Hanako was sobbing now. She folded the note with shaking hands and shoved it into her pockets. I forgive you I forgive you I forgive you. Mom I’m so sorry, I love you too. Please come back, Mom, please! the girl thought. She was going to be sick if she stayed here any longer. Picking herself off the ground, the girl bolted. The flung the door open and sped out of the putrid house, not caring that she hadn’t shut it. Tears poured down her face and she just ran, not caring where she went. Eventually she slammed into some person and fell backwards. But she didn’t get up, and didn’t bother to ask who she had hit. She just sucked her knees up to her chest and cried. She didn’t care if they saw her, she didn’t care that she was in the middle of the road.

She didn’t care anymore.

Sora yawned as he sat down at the table in his kitchen. His mother was currently finishing up making him a simple sandwich, she had already gotten something to eat before he came down from his room. "Sora, dear, are you going to train later on? You're already dressed." she asked with a smile directed at her son. The genin lightly smiled back and nodded in response, "Yea, I am mum. And thanks for making me something to eat." His mother's smile grew a bit larger as she placed the plate in front of him. "No problem honey! You know I enjoy doing things for you~" she planted a small kiss on his forehead after moving his bangs out of the way. Sora blushed as he shoved the sandwich into his mouth. He took a peek at the time and finally noticed how late it was. 'Hm, I need to leave now.' he thought lazily. "Gotta go mum!" he said before rushing out of his seat. The boy quickly opened the window and leaped out, running towards the training grounds.

"Young man! Just where do you think you're going?! Leaving out the window like a caveman!" his mom shouted after him, her hair strangely levitating as her eyes had a red glow to it. Sora shuddered as he started to run even faster than before. He was took busy looking behind him to notice what as in front of his, this caused many people to bump into him slightly. He shoved the rest of the sandwich that was hanging outside of his mouth.. well.. inside of his mouth. Sora's cheeks were puffed out from doing that, making him look almost like a chipmunk. 'Chew.. chew.. CHEW... now swallow.' he thought, performing the actions as he thought about them. Unfortunately, Sora felt something crash into him after swallowing, forming the poor boy to fall backwards onto his butt.

"Ah, what the he- Hana-chan?" he asked after looking at the supposed stranger who bumped into him. The genin pushed himself off the ground and was immediately by his teammate's side. "Hey, hey! What's up? Why are you crying like this, what happened?" he questioned in one breath.

Hanako's big, watery eyes met Sora, becoming both saddened and thrilled at his appearance. Well, as thrilled as she could be right now, anyway. However, the genin did not rise from the ground. She chocked back a sob as much as she could and replied shakily, "My mom was killed. I found her in the house a few minutes ago." Those few words were all it took for her to completely break down. She'd never cried before, not like this. Sure, she'd shed a few tears in her lifetime. But that was just it - a few. Even that night, that putrid night, she'd only whimpered. The girl had always been strong in that way. But now... Now she wasn't like that. She's dead she's dead she's dead Daiki killed her oh Kami she's dead and she's never coming back oh Kami why her why not Daiki she's gone my mom is gone... Hanako thought, her words stringing together in her mind. The girl buried her head in her arms, entire body shaking as she tried to control herself. Of course, though, it didn't work in the slightest.

Sora's mouth fell open in shock at the girl's statement. 'She.. was killed? How could this happen? Who would do something like that?' he thought. The boy snapped his mouth closed and and furrowed his eyebrows. He knew what it felt like to lose a parent.. so he could relate to Hanako. Honestly, he was scared everyday that something might some him to lose his mother as well. The boy moved to Hanako's left side and bent down to her level on the ground. He then cautiously slipped an arm around her shoulders and gave some sort of one-armed hug. "I-I.. I might not know what you've gone through before.. but I understand how you might feel right now, even if it's a little." he whispered to her, "But you shouldn't worry too much... As long as your mom loved you then that's all that counts."

Sora's lip slightly trembled before he deepened the hug a bit. Talking about it made him recall to when his own Dad died. That was a very very touchy subject for the genin, even if he might not show it much. "She's probably in a better place now, watching over you. She doesn't want to see you cry for her, she wants you to live life to the fullest. She wants you to prove you can move on without her." he mumbled, positive Hanako would be able to hear.

Hanako took his words to heart, pressing against Sora in the hug. Her sobs quieted into silence, the girl never having expressed sorrow like this before. (She had felt it, sure, but she wasn't used to crying...) At that moment, she didn't care that this was only the third time she had met her teammate. He was offering comfort, and by Kami, Hanako needed it right now. She needed to know someone was there right now, and at the moment, Sora was the only one around. Even dad's not here with me, because he was the one who killed her after all... Hanako thought darkly, realizing that, except for her sensei (and he was iffy) and the boy in front of her, she was really alone in the world. "I know, but it doesn't mean it hurts any less... That stupid person; I hate him..." the girl said sincerely, a few more tears rolling down her cheeks. She was referring to her father, though Sora wouldn't know that. She still loved the man, but... She hated him now as well, and quite genuinely. He had killed the only person to ever love her, and that was not forgivable (not that he hadn't committed crimes of unforgivable nature before, but this one was just the freshest on her mind).

Sora's words registered slowly in her mind and she looked up to her friend with tearful eyes. "Sora-kun... Who did you lose?" she asked innocently. She heard the sadness in his voice, no matter how much he wanted to hide it, and she had caught his stuttering. It was obvious he had lost someone, and definatly someone dear to him. "You don't have to talk about it i-if the memory's too painful... But it's okay to tell someone..." the Genin said. Her mother might have just died, and Sora might be the one trying to comfort her right now and not vice versa, but Hanako still cared. She'd always put other's problems before her own... Even now.

Sora was looking around the area bit while Hanako was still crying. It was strange when he noticed it, that they were just plainly sitting down in the middle of a path. The area was a bit busy too, causing many civilians to send them strange looks. However, once they spotted his teammate crying they just continued on their way. Did they understand the situation or did they just not want to deal with a little girl crying? The boy really hoped that it was the first option. He listened in onto what his comrade was saying, something about hating someone else? 'I'll need to find out who that guy is.. and have a little 'chat' with him.' he thought with a frown. Sora's body went rigid at Hanako's next sentence though. "N-no.. it's.. it's alright." he stuttered, sweat running down the side of his head as he swallowed.

"I.. I lost my dad a few years ago." he mumbled with darkened eyes. The boy withdrew his arm and put both of his hands into his lap, finally taking a seat on the ground. He remembered the day they sent his family that letter... a simple letter telling how his father died. "They didn't even have to guts to say it to our face..." he whispered, slowly getting overwhelmed with rage. "My dad probably didn't even think about us when he jumped in to save that random ninja...! That guy should have died and let him live instead!" he shouted out loud. The boy's shoulders trembled as he continued to think about the depressing topic. Sora took several deep breaths to calm himself, each one being larger than the last. He never really showed any emotion on the matter in public until now.

"I.. God Dammit!" he grumbled, "Dammit... dammit..."

Hanako's tears stopped as her teammate spoke, using her palm to wipe away the salty remnants. She stood up, pulling Sora up with her, and moved under a low-hanging tree that stood on the side of the road. Between the branches was a small clearing-like place big enough for the two to sit comfortably. After pulling Sora down beside her, the Genin wrapped her arm around him in a comforting way, returning the hug that he had pulled away from. "It's okay to be sad, you know. I don't cry, ever, no matter what. I haven't shed a single tear since I was ten, and I'm nearly twelve now. But even I let it show this time. It's not good to keep bottling things up. If you need to, let it out. I won't judge you, and the people who will can't see you right now..." Hanako said, voice still shaking. She continued to hug Sora, mind blank except for a certain image in her mind. A physical chill ran down her spine, hurting her mentally so bad that she needed to voice her thoughts about a minute after her little speech. "I don't think I'll ever forget that smell, the smell of blood, or the feeling of her freezing cold skin. A single cut to the neck, and a jagged one at that. That's how she died. She... she wasn't even a ninja... Just a person... Being blind doesn't help, because it leads the mind to wandering what it might have looked like... I can't... You didn't see your dad, did you? My mom's blood... it was still fresh... I can't..." Hanako said, cut off as a new wave of grief hit her like a tsunami. However, she didn't cry again. Her eyes were glassy and her breaths shuddering, but not a single tear left her.

The poor boy was still trembling while Hana had lead them to the tree and while they sat down. He sniffled, trying not to let any tears come down in his face. He was supposed to be the one helping Hana, not the one who was being comforted. The boy used his right arm and wiped viciously at the tears threatening to leak out. The trembling began to go down as his teammate spoke to him. "No.. I don't want to cry. I want to be strong, even if it means keeping up my feelings. I did enough of that when I first got here... away from my mom in my room." he mumbled. His trembling completely subsided as he let out a large shaky sigh. The boy arranged his legs so he was sitting with his legs crossed, a more comfortable position in his opinion. Sora rubbed at his slightly burning and eyes and began to speak again.

"Well, that's true. I never really got to see my dad, just went to his funeral." he responded, "Anyway, I'm a bit tired of being depressed... we need to do something that will make us feel better." The genin scratched the back on his dark blue hair and began to think about anything that can make people happy. There was chocolate... no he didn't like to eat to much of it... how about soda? Mm, nah they could get that later on... ice cream? Yea! It was freezing and delicious. "But the problem is we have to search for an ice cream cart..." he whispered to himself.

(Sorry for he wait. Life, boyfriends, and breakups got in the way. :/)

Hanako nodded half-heartedly, her mind somewhere else. She was so sad... But she didn't know how to cry anymore. She was all cried out. Okay, so she picked up the first sentences about strong emotional stuff, then something about only funerals and some activity. Oh, and then she heard... "Ice cream. Definatly ice cream. That's always good, especially the cold..." she stopped for a moment, seemingly deep in thought about something amazing, "I think I vaguely remember hearing a cart while I was running down the road. I'll be your ears if you be my eyes," the sightless Genin said, standing up. She took a final deep breath, previously shinning emerald eyes finally clouding over. As usual. She grabbed her teammate's hand, needing some sort of physical contact, and brought him out from the maze of branches. She felt the sunlight... but she didn't see it. She began leading him down the street when...  "Oh... yeah... Uhm, which was I running from? I'm kinda... yeah..." she said, punctuating her 'kinda' by waving a hand in front of her eyes.

The boy rose an eyebrow at the girl, but went along with her anyway. Being a set of eyes should be easy right? Well, it really should be. He followed Hanako while she grabbed his hand, dragging him away from the tree that they were sitting under. Sora sighed and used his free hand the scratch the back of his dark blue hair. 'The way she was running from? Uh...' he thought with a frown. He continued to scratch the back on his head, a bit rougher than before. "Um, I don't really remember... I think it was the direction we're heading right now." he replied with an unsure expression. Man, he really didn't pay attention to tiny details like that, even though it would be best if he did. As Sora looked around the area, he spotted something large and white in the distance. It didn't seem to far away, maybe they would be walking for a minute or two.

"Hey I think I see it up ahead." he commented. The boy stopped scratching his head and used his hand to cover his eyes from the sun. "Yea, better just keep moving forward."