A Hatred That Will Never Bloom Into Friendship

We pull out of each other’s arms, and I lean my back against the tall mountain cliff same as him. Our arms brush against each other as we stare out at the small tree-lined enclosure we were in, and up at the now darkening sky.

Silence. Peaceful, loving silence. I sigh mentally. It sure was nice to just sit here under the twinkling starry sky after such a long restless and frightening day.

Funny how I was sharing this serene time with Lloyd, but then again it wasn’t.

I notice as I glance around that we were settled way down below in the depths of the Forest, where definitely no one was going to come across us. We were definitely safe way down here, away from the other opposing teams.

The sky up high above gleams a dark blue, giving off only a little light in the almost pitch darkness we were sitting in.

“Spooky, isn’t it?” Lloyd asks in a dark tone, trying to sound scary.

Actually, when I really thought about it, it was pretty spooky. Not a sound but our own two breathing, and utter still darkness. The roots of the trees seemed much more huge and grotesque looking from this low level, and they seemed to reach up towards the full white moon endlessly.

“Yeah, it is.” I try to sound sarcastic, and gladly it worked.

Lloyd chuckles. “Hey, I have some nice news.”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“After we split up the first day, I ran into Kiba, Hinata, and Shino. They were on their way to the Tower when we ran into each other…”

“On their way to the Tower?” I interrupt him. “So, they got both the scrolls on the first day?” Whoa.

Lloyd nods. “Yeah, they are lucky as heck. I mean, right out the gate, and literally too, they got the scroll they needed.”

“Well, good for them.” At least they won’t have to face any of the horrors in this Forest, I add mentally.

It gets quiet again between us. My left arm begins to fall asleep, the annoying tingling sensation traveling up and down it. I stretch my arm out in front of me, to try and wake it up, and it helps to bring back a little feeling. I rest back against the rock comfortably (or just as comfortable as possible).

Lloyd then sighs, and I raise an eyebrow.

“Have you ever just sat back at night and just watched the sky and tried to count all the stars?” he asks randomly.

I look at him with doubt. “Wow, really Lloyd? I can’t picture you just laid back and doing that at all.” Well, besides now, anyway. “That’s me and Shikimaru’s thing.”

Lloyd goes quiet. I glance at him sideways. He wasn’t looking at me, but only continued to stare up at the midnight sky, deep in thought.

“Lloyd? Hey, look, I’m…”

“Never mind, okay?” He smiles. “I was just kidding anyway. I was just trying to make a conversation. This eerie silence is killing me.”

“Yeah, I kinda figured that.” Partially, anyway. But I was going to let it go.

I guess Lloyd was dying slowly on the inside, because there was nothing but eerie silence.

He yawns tiredly beside me. Or maybe it was just making him sleepy.

And you know how yawns are contagious, so, I yawned as well.

“Why don’t you get some rest,” he tells me simply.

“I don’t think your gonna’ need to keep watch, do you? We can both get some rest.” Lloyd shrugs in agreement.

Next thing I knew, we were laying out heads down on the two pillows Lloyd got out of his backpack, and we were sound asleep in minutes.

~~*~~

It’s the fourth day. No time for dawdling; we had to find the Earth scroll.

First thing first, before we got down to business, we had to regroup with Rakuyo. Problem was, we had no clue as to where he was or how long it would take to track him down.

Lloyd and I were jumping from branch to branch, trying to come up with a plan. The sun was just breaking over the horizon, and the glare it gave off through the trees was almost blinding.

We both leap off the small branch at the same time, both with out right foot. We both land in unison, and I didn’t notice it until it was too late.

I land and when I was about to jump again, my foot triggers a trip wire that was strung low and invisibly between the two tree barks.

A shower of kunai knives fly down from above us, and there was no way we could move and get out the way quick enough.

“Damn it!” I bellow in frustration. I quickly take out a knife and block only a couple kunai’s. I heard clanks of metal beside me, and knew Lloyd was trying to defend himself same as me.

But I couldn’t keep up. A couple knives pierce my left arm and lower abdomen, and several zoom pass me, slicing through my kimono and flesh as they flew by. They were never ending!

Several more come my way, and I prepare myself, but then Lloyd runs in front of me; his hands on my shoulders and his back to the weapons.

“Lloyd!”

About ten knives penetrate his back, before the onslaught finally ends. Pools of blood drip to the tree bark, his and mine mingling into one big puddle.

With his hands still gripping my shoulders, we tilt backwards and fall over the edge. We land hard on another tree branch below us, with me on my back and Lloyd atop of me.

He lifts his head up slowly and looks at me with a faraway gaze. Death was starting to claim his life.

“Lloyd!”