A Hatred That Will Never Bloom Into Friendship

We seemed to stand like this forever; all staring into each other’s eyes, seemingly frozen in time. I was the first to break the staring contest, looking down at my hands held out in front of me, as though they would disappear at any moment.

“How are you alive?” Yasu asks baffled, also gawking at my hands, his eyes wide. His voice sounded short of breath, like he had been running for hours with no rest.

I look back up at the two pairs of eyes on me, that same question swirling around in my mind. Problem was I couldn’t come up with an answer; I honestly didn’t know. The one thing I remembered was that I was encased in total blackness and all of a sudden I was surrounded by green chakra and… ta-da! I was back in the land of the living.

“Your not even hurt,” Yasu whispers, so low that I barely heard him.

“Hmm?” I look down at myself, and he was right. There was no trace of blood, not even a mark left where he had pierced me in my stomach with his blade. The only evidence there was the small circular hole in my kimono. Amazed and confounded, I put my hand to my chin, feeling that the bone was completely intact and not shattered anymore. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed or perceived it first.

And there was another thing I realized. I felt completely full of energy; reborn, so to speak (which was gravely and shockingly true). Whatever happened to me, brought me back to life, healed all my wounds and replenished my chakra. But I couldn’t ponder this anymore right now; no matter how many unnerving questions I had. Right now I had to fight Yasu, and win.

Yasu’s puzzled demeanor takes on a much more guarded one, and he sneers boldly. He saw my mast thought flicker across my features and in my eyes, and he knew what I planned to do. “Humph. I have no idea how you are alive, but that doesn’t matter. I’ll just kill you again.” I take a step forward. “I wouldn’t do anything if I were you. Or aren’t you forgetting that I have your last teammate here in my grasp. I could kill him at any moment… and I think I will!”

Before I could anything, Yasu drives his sword deep into Rakuyo’s chest. His scream mingles with my own, and Yasu tosses his body aside like a rag doll. Without thinking, I run over to Rakuyo’s side, and literally dive onto my knees beside him. He was a horrible sight, and there was nothing I could do to help. Blood was dripping down his mouth and onto the ground, blood pooled from his wound and made puddles on both sides of him, and his eyes were fogging over with death.

I panicked in my mind; I couldn’t bear to lose another teammate. I prayed to whoever was listening that whatever power brought me back to life, would help him as well. I forcefully squeeze my hand around his wrist; willing desperately for something to happen. Rakuyo’s mouth opens slightly, a gurgles scream barely leaving his lips. I could faintly hear Yasu laughing behind me, but I didn’t pay him no mind. Tears filled my eyes as I squeezed harder around his wrist, but nothing happened. I felt nothing different in the air or nothing within me.

“Please, please! Don’t take him away! I—“ I stop mid-sentence. I couldn’t breathe. I literally couldn’t take in any air. But I wasn’t gasping or hyperventilating; the feeling felt natural, but not so natural. I really didn’t know how I felt; it was hard to explain. I then could feel a power, raw and compelling, rising up inside of me. I gasp aloud as green chakra begins to flow from my hand all over Rakuyo’s beaten body. The overwhelming feeling of it sent tingles up my arm and down my spine; it felt nice the way the different chakra flowed through my body and out of my hand.

The chakra fades his chest wound until it closed up completely. It went over his face and into his mouth, clearing all the excess from his throat. Both his legs straightened out, all the bones forming back together. Though all the procedures looked painful (especially the way he’s legs moved back into place!), there was no sign of anguish or suffering on his face. He looked happy and relieved in fact.

The green chakra starts to slow, until there wasn’t a trace of it left coming from my hand. The stimulating feeling inside me goes away, and I was almost sad it did.

“Kimina,” Rakuyo utters, his voice strong and clear. He pushes himself up with his hands until her was sitting on his behind. I almost tell him not to move, but then I realized that not only were his wounds healed but he also had his strength and chakra back. “I feel… great! It feels like I haven’t used an ounce of my chakra today. How are you able to do this… whatever this is?”

“I… I don’t know. I have never been able to do this before. I don’t know what this is,” I reply, flabbergasted; desperately wanting my questions cleared up for me. How was I able to do this? What was it exactly? All I knew was that it was green chakra and that it could heal me and others, and I guess also renew a person’s stamina level. But why was this power bestowed upon me? I quickly cast that thought aside. I really didn’t care about that question, because this power saved my life and Rakuyo’s. I was deeply confused, but glad this power was given to me.

“How… how…?” I hear Yasu stammer at a loss of words behind me. I turn to him. He was more away from us, I recognized, and he was still backing away; every step brining him closer to the edge of the cliff.

Next to me, Rakuyo gets up on his knees and does a couple of hand signs. “Let’s hope this works again.” I look at him, my eyebrows raised. It was then that I got a better look at my surroundings, at the giant tree overturned and the giant root hanging slightly into te air attached to it. And… Toshio was nowhere to be seen. Rakuyo must have been able to kill him, I thought to myself, the same was he was now going to kill Yasu. Hopefully.

Rakuyo places his palms on the ground in a diamond shape, and the ground immediately begins shaking violently. The huge root behind Yasu rises high into the air. But Yasu, it seemed, wasn’t paying much attention to it though. He was still staring at the both of us, at me actually, his mouth hanging open. The root rises about twenty feet before slamming with full force back onto the ground, pulsating the area with such force that Rakuyo and I fell flat on our backs.

The tree overturns on itself and tumbles over the edge, bringing down about half the cliff side with it and also a screaming Yasu.

A hand grabs my arm and pulls me upwards, and I follow behind Rakuyo into the trees on our left. We run for a long time, until we were out of the dust, and I drop to my knees in the grass, exhausted. I look up at Rakuyo, who was leaning against a tree in front of me, also panting. We had done it; Yasu and Toshio were both dead. I half-smile at him, tears welling up in my eyes, before collapsing on my side and sobbing; letting the tears roll down my cheeks like waterfalls.