Saline

Chapter Three: Averse

Chapter Three: Averse

“Where were you when the attack took place?” She could feel the eyes on her. The elders along with the Hokage’s. But she could not bring herself to meet their gaze. Her eyes stayed transfixed on the little spider web that was barely visible in the corner of the window, behind them. The silk from the spider glistened in the sun making it look more beautiful than disgusting. Hitomi wondered where the spider was. “Hitomi Taki, where. Were. You?” The female elder pronounced each word carefully, as though Hitomi couldn’t understand her. Hitomi blinked slowly.

“Where was I?” It had been going on like this for a while, now. Someone whispered that she still might be in shock.

A loud sigh was heard. “Did you see who attacked your team?” The man spoke, now, talking just as slow as the woman before him had. Very slowly. Very carefully.

“The attacker?”

“Yes, Hitomi, who attacked and killed your team?” She flinched at that. Killed. Her team. Her team had been killed. Hitomi had been made a kunoichi exactly two days ago and already, all of her comrades were dead. Mana Aomori, whom liked to sing. Kin Sasaki, whom spent his time learning foreign languages. Kazue Narita, whom liked to act as though they didn’t exist. Hitomi was sure the room was shaking.

The woman went to interrogate her further, but The Hokage held up his hand, silencing the both of them. “Hitomi is very young. A day two kunoichi and having already experienced tragedy. Let’s give her some time.”

“Time?” The woman shrilled. “That girl is a kunoichi! She knew the things she might one day face, this is no excuse!”

The man sounded just as exasperated. “For all we know, she could have been the one to kill Team Thirteen! She’s the only survivor, there’s no evidence that she’s not the one who did it. And if she did, she needs to be tried for her crimes of treason against the Leaf—as the criminal that she is!”

The Hokage scoffed. “Let’s be reasonable, shall we?” He sounded just annoyed with them as he were them. “Kazue Narita was a jounin, need I remind you. A genin could not have killed her.”

“She was shot in the back with an arrow. She did not expect it.”

“A genin of Hitomi’s level could not have pulled this off, simple as that. When’s the last time you knew a twelve-year-old to be such a cold-blooded killer? Look at her now! She can’t even talk she’s so shaken up! And yes, we will give her time because she’s twelve-years-old and still just a child.”

The man looked as though he were about to argue again, but The Hokage cut him off. “Hitomi, you may leave. Take a few days to recover. And when you feel better, come talk to us, please.” The girl nodded, standing stiffly to leave.

She didn’t hear anything else for a while.

After two days, she could no longer stomach the inside of her house. She did not like the fact that people were so easy to find her and that many of them stopped by to ask if she was okay. She was not okay and it seemed senseless that people kept asking her the same damn question. As if the next time that they stopped by she would magically okay and the pain from the death of her comrades would somehow be gone. She had not died with them.

She owed Mana and Kin’s parents apologies. She knew that much. But she could not find it in herself to go to them and tell them that this was her fault. That she should be dead instead of pretty, doll-like Mana and rude, but completely sensitive Kin. She had abandoned them; fallen asleep by some water.

Hitomi wondered if Kazue had a husband or boyfriend and if she had ruined something that good for someone else, too.

Her feet felt leaden against the ground and she found it hard to walk down the street. Curious eyes were on her, watching her and Hitomi had never felt more angry or frustrated than she did in that moment. Like she would snap at anyone who dare ask her one more time if she was okay.

There was nothing to be okay about.

She sat down on the bench without really knowing where she had wandered off to or what time it was. Just that she was tired and she wanted to sit and stare at the ground and the way her toes skimmed the pavement of the sidewalk because, looking down now, she realized she had forgotten to even put on shoes.

Her feet were dirty, and she knew she should have been disgusted. But she should have also have been dead as well, but she wasn’t.

She only realized that the sun was starting to set when someone sat down beside her. And when her eyes met the sky, Hitomi realized she would never be able to look at the sunset again without thinking of the deep color of Mana’s pretty pink hair and the way it had soaked up blood. She could never again appreciate how pretty it was when the sun sunk below the horizon without thinking of Kin’s crush on Mana and the way he still held on to his teddy bear, even after he was dead.

Naruto sat with at least a foot between them. And when she looked at him, she noticed that his eyes were pointed elsewhere. And for once, someone in proximity was not staring and analyzing her. Hitomi looked forward, too.

Naruto sat with her for a really long time. But never once did he ask if she was okay. He didn’t bother to ask her what had happened and how she managed to escape. In fact, he didn’t speak at all. And it was nice. It was quiet. She was able to think of Mana and Kin and Kazue without the leering questions of other people. And she was able to think of other things for once in two days with Naruto beside her.

She still hurt. But, somehow, she was a little more at peace.