Blood Ties (Flashback)

The silver-haired girl’s eyes were dark as she was pushed through the threshold, now within the walls of this cold, dark stronghold. Brushing a hair from her eyes, the chunin nodded as the guards approached her. She lifted her arms, her eyes still dreamy, her demeanor detached, as the guards patted her down. One guard glared at her, casting his eyes to her legs. The girl merely shook her head.
”Keep staring, and I’ll give you a set of broken legs to match!” The girl snapped, causing the raven-haired attendant at her side to step between the girl and the prison guard.
”Please, sir, Lady Aryll would never try to assist her brother in escape. After all, he was the one who put her in that chair.” Lady Kazuha assured the guard, her own white eyes gazing pleadingly back into those of the guard. He looked at the girl in the chair, then back at Kazuha. His eyes narrowed. Kazuha’s face grew into a small smile.

The guard nodded reluctantly towards the door. Kazuha beamed at the man as she pushed the girl’s chair on. As soon as they rounded the corner, the woman sighed, glaring at the occupant of the chair for a moment, before assuming her motherly visage once more. ”Lady Aryll, I understand that this must be difficult for you, but you really aren’t doing yourself any favors, picking fights with the guards.” She cooed, attempting to comfort the head of the Hyuuga clan. The girl remained stoic. Kazuha sighed. ”You Kirigakure ninja are all so proud. It’ll be your undoing one day, if you’re not careful.” Nagged the attendant.

”You think I should have just took it?” Aryll questioned. Kazuha shrugged.
”Yes! It would save you so much trouble if you just let it slide off your shoulders.” Kazuha said sagely.
”Some Hyuuga you are. Are you all so spineless in Konohagakure?” Aryll snarked, placing her hand on the brake of her wheel, causing the chair to come to an abrupt halt, startling Kazuha, who bumped into the back of the chair. A small hand was pointed to their left. ”This way.”

Kazuha turned the chair clumsily and followed her lady’s instructions, navigating the labyrinthian hallways of Kirigakure’s prison system. Neither woman said much else, beyond simple directions from Aryll and an affirmative nod from Kazuha. Neither wanted to speak to their clanswomen anymore; Aryll because the woman sickened her with her naivety, and Kazuha because her clan head had insulted both her and her home village of Konohagakure. 

As they rolled down the final ramp, the signs on the wall, coupled with the added security, told Aryll that they were reaching the maximum security wing of the prison. Masked guards wielding blunt instruments littered the hallways, and the dark, red-tinted hallways were pierced by an ear-rattling scream.

”Oh dear. Is this where they’ve been keeping Master Haru-?” Kazuha piped. Aryll shook her head.
”Don’t call him that. He is no longer worthy of such a title.” Aryll snapped. Kazuha gulped.
”He’s still of our blood, Lady Aryll. How can you stand for him to be in a place like this?”
”Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to.” Aryll said, her eyes averting to her own lap.
”-Of course, I didn’t mean to-”
”Turn here.” Aryll piped up, accompanied by another application of the brakes to her chair. Kazuha didn’t react this time, she just obeyed Aryll’s command and directed her chair into the lift. A few guards stepped into the elevator after them, looking expectantly at Aryll. ”We’re going all the way down. I’m paying my traitor brother a visit.” She told them. The guards heeded her words, and the lift began to descend.
”h-how far down does this go?” She asked.
”Far enough that not even my brother could crawl his way out.” Aryll replied, the wind from the open lift picking up both of the girl’s hair. Kazuha held her head, while Aryll simply allowed her silver locks to fly wildly.

The lift came to a gradual halt, and the doors slid slowly open. Two of the guards exited and took the lead, while the rest brought up the rear. Kazuha and Aryll followed their lead, staying in the middle of the pack as they headed down the long hallway. At the end of the hallway, a huge steel door greeted them. The two guards in the lead began opening the door, while the two in the back approached the doors and turned towards Aryll.

”When the doors open, you will wait for us to enter the room. When speaking to the prisoner, you will be monitored at all times. You will pass nothing to the prisoner. You will-”
”Yeah, yeah, I know the routine. You’re not gonna get any trouble from me. He can rot in here for all I care.” Aryll interrupted. The guard stared hard at her, clearly irritated with her interruption, but his partner merely shook his head. They knew who she was. They knew she was telling the truth. He nodded, turning towards the door and reaching towards it, unsealing the fuinjutsu lock that was holding the door shut. Aryll leaned over to Kazuha, nudging her. ”You might wanna wait out here.” She whispered. Kazuha looked shocked.
”I came here to see your brother. I’m going to see that through.” She told Aryll defiantly. Aryll shrugged.
”Suit yourself.”Aryll said, and as if on cue, the steel doors slid open with an unbearable screeching sound, and the sickly smell of blood and sweat poured out of the room. Kazuha gagged, and Aryll’s eyes began to water. Even the guards looked disgusted by the sight.

Haru was chained to a cross, covered in blood. His ribs and lungs had been pulled out through his back and stretched out, forming what appeared to be fleshy wings. Blood dripped from his back and down his legs, into a large drain on the floor. They were careful not to give Haru any substantial amount of water, not even from his own body, lest he make use of his water-style abilities. His face was wrinkled, his grey hair shaggy, he had grown a significant stubble during his time here. He looked like he had aged a lot, a side effect of such extensive use of the creation rebirth technique. Keeping him grievously injured like this was the only way to keep his chakra levels at bay. Taxing his healing factor constantly meant that Haru could not use any excess energy to attempt an escape. Before leaving, the guards brought Haru a small drink, a tiny cup of water, drawn from the boiler directly outside his cell. It was scalding hot, and as one guard held it to his lips, Haru’s face quivered as he drank, the water turning his face a bright red as the heat scalded his lips, only to be regenerated by his healing factor. Just another small torture in this hell, to keep him uncomfortable.

Aryll felt a weight slump over the back of her chair. Sure enough, Kazuha had fainted. Aryll supposed she should count herself grateful that she hadn’t lost her lunch as well. Thank God for small favors. One of the guards lifted the woman from Aryll’s chair and removed her from the room, setting her in a small chair as the doors sealed behind him. Sighing, Aryll wheeled herself towards the bars that seperated her from Haru.

”Hello, brother.” She said, breaking the silence of the dark and dank room. Haru’s white eyes rose to meet Aryll’s for a moment, before falling back to the floor. He did not speak. Aryll sat in silence for a few moments, unsure of what to say. She had come all this way, in her rage, to see her fool brother one last time, but now that she was here before him, she hadn’t any idea what to ask him. What to tell him. This entire trip had been for the purpose of rubbing her success in his face, despite the hardships she had to endure. Despite the struggle he put her through. Yes, that would do just perfectly.

”...I thought I would tell you the good news, brother. I was the victor of the Blood Games.” Aryll blurted out, desperate for something to cling to. Something to gloat about. Something to show her brother that she was not helpless. ”It took a lot of hard work, but I rose beyond even the strongest of my peers. Even in spite of what you did t- She faltered, her eyes averting as she wiped away the tear that was welling in her eye. ”...What you did to me.” Haru did not speak. He did not stir. Aryll’s watery eyes began to redden as her rage grew. ”You know, I’ve thought about that night every day since you left. I live alone in that dreary old house now, and every nook and cranny of that place holds nothing but pain for me.” She snapped at her brother, who flinched with guilt. Aryll’s face began to curl into a satisfied smile. ”I’ve ran through what happened over and over again. Every time I see that room, look at those stairs, all I see is you, barreling through that door and shattering my whole body.” Her voice was growing more and more scratchy and rough as her emotions took control of her. ”I’ve played that scene over and over again in my mind, every day. It haunts my every waking moment, to think that my own kin did something like that to me.” Aryll continued, twisting the knife, as Haru’s face twisted into a grimace.

"...But what I can’t wrap my head around is…” She continued, pausing, as if to catch her breath. ”...Why?” Tears streamed freely down Aryll’s face now. ”Why, Haru? Why did you do this to me? I don’t understand.” She interrogated. A slow, shaky breath from across the room jarred Aryll from her tantrum. Her brother’s eyes rose once more, meeting hers again.
”...It’s not something I’m proud of.” Spoke Haru, with a raspy breath, as his own lungs, flayed behind his back, struggled to provide him air. Aryll froze, captivated by her brother. ”For a brief moment, my hate for him outweighed my love for you. I was blinded by my rage, and for that, I am ashamed.”

Aryll’s eyes quivered for a moment. Then she shrieked at her brother.
”Why? Why do you hate him so much? What did he do that would make you forget your own family?” She asked. Haru winced at her last few words.
”I… I can’t tell you that…” Haru wheezed, gasping for air. It was clear that he was struggling to keep up the conversation, both emotionally and physically. Aryll didn’t care.
”Then you can rot in here, for all I care!” Shrieked Aryll, turning her chair towards the door. She knocked twice, and the guards began to open it from the other side. As the door slid open, Haru choked out one last goodbye.

”I love you, Aryll. And I am so sorry for the pain I’ve caused you.”

She stopped. Staring straight ahead as the doors slid open, she couldn’t help the tears welling up in her eyes now.
”Go to hell. You’re a disgrace to the Hyuuga.”
The doors slid shut behind her, and Haru spoke no more.

(Exit)
TWC: 2018
Performance of a Hundred Puppets 1500/1500 (25% Discount)
Geist 518/4,875 (25% Discount)
+20 AP

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