A Hatred That Will Never Bloom Into Friendship

We were finally on our way back home to the Leaf village. It’s been one whole week and a half since we left, and I was definitely homesick. All I wanted to do was go home, hug my mom, and go to sleep in my own cool soft bed.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Lloyd slouch beside me, his mouth hanging slightly open. I raise an eyebrow at him. “You okay?”

He straightens up immediately. “Yeah, I’m fine. What makes you ask that?” The smirk I hated pulls at his lips. He hadn’t lost any of his flamboyant attitude.

“You sure you don’t need to rest?” Naria sensei asks him. “The nurses said you still have some internal problems and to not overexert yourself.”

“I’m fine. Seriously, no need to worry.” It was hard to tell if he was telling the truth or trying to act all macho.

“Anyway, we should be getting close to Kombawa.” Naria sensei walks up from the other side to me up in front of us.

“Are we going to stop there?” Rakuyo questions.

Naria sensei looks up at the clear sky, at the bright sun above us. “Probably just to get something to eat.” She glances back at Lloyd. “I don’t think we’ll need to stay there overnight, if we keep going like this we’ll be at the Leaf village by nightfall.”

Lloyd sighs. “Man, the first thing I’m going to do when we get home is…”

“Go to the hospital,” Naria sensei finishes with a smile.

“Humph. That was not what I was going to say.” He sighs again. “I’m so tired of the stupid hospital. The food sucks and they poke you everywhere with needles filled with medicine that puts you to sleep.”

I laugh at his statement. “You know your only going this time to get a check-up to make sure your really okay. You’re only staying there for about fifteen minutes.”

“Really?” Lloyd turns to Naria sensei.

She nods her head. “Kimina’s right. Unless you want to…?”

“No, thank you,” he states simply.

The small city of Kombawa comes into view down the path. Even from this distance little kids could be heard laughing and screaming.

“Lloyd…” Rakuyo says slowly.

“Hmm?” Lloyd looks at him, his eyebrows raised. I gaze at Rakuyo too, wondering what he was trying to say. Rakuyo was staring at Lloyd’s face, his eyes widened a bit.

My eyes follow Rakuyo’s, and I saw beads of sweat rolling down Lloyd’s face. “Lloyd, you okay?”

“What is it with you guys? I’m alright,” he answers sternly. Naria sensei peeks back at us, her attention fixed on Lloyd.

“I feel…” Lloyd stops mid-sentence, and also stops walking, which obviously made all of us stop in our tracks.

“Lloyd?” I call out to him, but it only fell on deaf ears. His eyes were unfocused, and his body was trembling. He leans forward slightly…and keeps going. “Lloyd!”