Chapter 4: This Continuing Nightmare (1)

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She thought it was over. The moment those heavy eyelids of hers slammed shut, she genuinely thought it was it. Curtains closed, and all that. Death would claim her body, and she would be no more.

 

She should have known then - it wouldn’t be as simple as that.

 

Hitomi awoke. Not to the white walls of a hospital room, or the happy faces of her family and friends, but to devastation and carnage.

 

 

Total destruction.

 

 

A heinous fire raged on, enveloping her world as she comprehended nothing. She couldn’t understand.

 

‘What is this...?’

 

Vaguely, a panicked voice cried. “Rio? Rio, what’s the matter with you?! Take my hand! They’ll be here in a second!”

 

'They? Who? What do you mean?'

 

Flinching, her head turned towards an adult figure. Shrouded by the fire, his voice was desperate, and Hitomi realized she was in the middle of a burning building. The crackle of the fire echoes in her ears. It surrounded her. 

 

The voice grew closer. “Stay there! I’ll come to you,” and apathy and confusion mixed inside her mind. ‘Ah,’ she thought.

 

‘This dream is getting more and more dramatic.’

 

There was no way for Hitomi to understand; that the horrific scenario she was living inside was no mere dream. It was reality, but she refused to believe it.

 

All the while, the flames danced in front of her. Growing closer, gaining momentum. Hitomi found herself admiring them in a sort of detached apathy.

 

She wondered how it would feel to come closer. To ascertain the depths of her imaginative ability. Surely this was her mind’s messed up way of punishing her for failing to save Ichigo. This was the extent of her ability.

 

Soon enough, a voice broke through. “Rio? Rio!” and the voice revealed a young man, blonde haired and fair. His brown eyes were wide and fearful. They moved erratically, stopping only once he’d laid eyes on her. Then, he ran. “Rio,” he yelled, “Why didn’t you reply when I shouted?” He leveled her a harsh gaze full of questions, before dropping it as fast. “Never mind that, grab your friend and go!”

 

‘Go? Go.’ Still trapped in that dreamlike trance, Hitomi followed the unknown man further along the house’s infrastructure, until they reached an adjacent room.

 

The unknown man entered, careful to evade the flames that still ravaged the house. They needed to hurry.

 

The room they arrived inside was largely empty. While the flame had yet to reach it, there was still no sight of a ‘friend’.

 

“That’s odd, he should have been here,” the man said, distressed.

“Have you seen him? We can’t leave without him!”

 

Murmurs turned into shouts. He was shouting his name.

 

The man tore through the room, checking all sorts of small spaces in search of the young child. Hitomi felt a growing fear gather in her stomach, but she ignored it.

 

A chink had formed inside her mind’s armor.

 

Her heart felt a tug.

 

“Another room,” she supplied. “Maybe he’s somewhere else.”

 

She couldn’t remember anything. Even if she wanted to be of help, there was nothing she could do. The older man stopped his frantic search to stare at her, instead.

 

Then, he tugged her hand as he ran outside. The sudden urgency threw Hitomi off, until she saw a wooden beam fall ontop of her previous position.

 

‘That’s right,’ she remembered late, ‘We’re currently inside a burning building. It seems my mind won’t let me have even one moment’s rest.’

 

Still believing it to be an elaborate nightmare, she didn’t mind as the unknown man lugged her across the flaming house. They went deeper inside, and only then did they find something. A blue hankerchief. “This was Hibiki’s,” the man murmered. “Then, just where has he gone?”

 

Hitomi, unable to filter her words, asked the panicked man. “Why are you trying so hard.”

 

An uncomfortable quiet spread inside the room, as the man regarded her oddly. “Rio,” he began. “I know this is a tough situation, but this is no time to joke around. That boy is the mayor’s son. You know that,” he ended.

 

“He’s important. So help me look for him, won’t you?” he asked while searching. Hitomi decided it couldn’t hurt.

“Okay,” she said placidly. Maybe then, this awful dream could end.

 

Scanning her surroundings, she traced her steps back to her former location. Behind the dresser.

 

Thinking back, hiding behind furniture made sense. It was a prime location for a scared child in need of reassurance. Since there was no adults around, the furniture would have to do. It was a shame, though.

 

The dresser was old, but made out of beautiful wood. Hitomi almost wanted to congratulate herself.

 

How in the world did she envision such a horrific scenario? So life-like and immersive. Let alone a dresser of such make? It almost made her wonder...

 

“Rio! Hurry!” A voice cried behind her, and she got to work.

 

Where would a scared child hide from a fire? Her eyes flitted across the burning room, before noticing a strange compartment. It was locked.

 

Getting closer, she noticed that a slip of clothing laid in between; she couldn’t open it. So, instead, she banged her fist onto the lock until it opened.

 

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

 

Until her child-like fist became slick with blood, and even then she didn’t stop. She surprised herself. 'It doesn't hurt,' she thought. 'Why doesn't it hurt?'

 

Finally, the compartment opened. She had no idea what the space was formerly used as; children had no business with safes and hidden compartments.

 

What’s more, is the fact that the space was the same color as the wall; it blended seamlessly into the tapestry, revealing nothing.

 

As Hitomi regarded the small child, she wondered why her mind was so deeply bitter.

 

Why punish her by making her meet this fearful child, whose orange locks and upturned nose reminded her of Ichigo?

 

Why put her inside a situation where she’s supposed to save someone who put their hopes onto her?

 

Why remake the same scenario, only for her to fail?

 

It was a joke.

 

Swallowing her anger, she hoisted the small boy onto her shoulder, ignoring his cries.

She ran out of the room. She ran out of the house. It had been too long, and her throat burned. Soot covered her as she took in her surroundings.

 

She thought it was bad before? It was worse. 

 

Devastation and chaos ran amok. She could hear the screams; the begging voices of the village folk before their voices were silenced. 

 

Embers flickered in the air, undisturbed. A roar of flame laid neatly in the background, razing everything living to the ground. The voices were the worst. Because it was not only the harsh flames that ravaged their village. Hitomi's bewildered eyes caught onto the boy's, as they arrived at the same conclusion. 

 

They were being massacred. 

 

All around, the voices of women, children and men were heard. It was torture. An experience that set Hitomi's languid mood into haywire. This torture...there was no way. 

 

It felt too real. Ducking behind the remains of another house, she kneeled down as she took in the situation. She couldn't stay here. She had to escape. She felt a tug on her hand. Two scared eyes of a child met hers. 

 

They...they had to escape. 

 

Just then, a strange man encroached her line of vision. A white-haired male, with exaggerated tribal tattoos, a large sword, and a vengeful smile. 

He began to talk. "So this is the mayor's residence, huh," he chuckled.

 

"I can't believe this is all that the famed Chouryo Line could muster up. But hey, it makes my job easier." He saw the flaming house, and assumed that all residents had been killed. 

 

"Farewell, Children of Chouryo - your sacrifice will not be in vain." he ended maliciously, before strutting away.

 

Only then did Hitomi breathe out a sigh of relief. He had gone away!

 

A knife flew through the air and landed by her feet. 

 

No.

An all-consuming fear settled onto her body - He...All along, he had been toying with her. Messing with her. 

 

Just like that man-

 

"How did you know I was there?" asked a silken voice, defeated. "I made sure to conceal myself properly."

 

Out from the rubble, a blonde man appeared. Only his clothes revealed his hiding place. 

 

Hitomi couldn't believe it. He had hidden himself inside the burning building? But how?! She herself had a weakened body due to overexposure. That man's hiding space had been intentional?

 

The murderer gave a mocking smile. "Why should I tell you? You're Chouryo filth, and I was given orders to eliminate you all." He released Killing Intent in waves. 

 

The blonde man didn't cower at all. Instead, he lowered his gaze and declared, "This attack is unwarranted. This village has no enemies, nor have we housed any criminals. We haven't incurred anyone's wrath. What sin could we have committed to deserve this kind of onslaught?" His breath hitched as he stepped closer.

 

"You've razed our lands, killed our women and children. Why?! Who hates our village to this extent?! It just doesn't make any sense!" 

 

Somewhere in between that conversation, the bandits happy smile became sour. And, as he readied his comically large sword for an attack, his face revealed a new emotion: Undisguised hate. 

"You know what you did. Your village raised a monster. A monster that this world will never recover from. That is your sin. That's the reason for this massacre."

Then, he made one flick of his wrist, and blood spurted. The blonde man fell to the floor. 

 

He stood above his mangled corpse, hateful and battlehungry. "This was pathetic. The least you can do is admit your wrong. That bastard is someone in this village, and we will bear our Master to victory by purging its existence."

 

The small boy's breath hitched as tears fell from his eyes. Hitomi wanted to shield him, but found that she couldn't. Thus, they both witnessed the brutal execution. 

 

"You were just a necessary sacrifice. Don't take it personal, yeah?You don't understand it now, but it's for the good of the world. Our Master will make sure of it."

 

Finished with his work, he patted the shoulder of the man he'd murdered. Then and only then did he attempt to leave the destroyed village. 

 

Minutes turned into hours; Hitomi stood still in her former pose. The boy had gone unconscious long ago. The body of her benefactor laid mere meters away from her, rotting. 

 

She finally wrenched her sight away to stare at him. His sacrifice. The flames had finally died down, but for what purpose?

 

In that moment, she felt a myriad of emotions. They grew louder and louder, begging, suffocating, accusing her. But, as always, her placid nature won out in the end.

 

They couldn't stay here. They had to leave. 

 

Forcibly moving each leg ahead of the next, she saw a tiny flower untouched by the fire. She bent down and picked it up. A tiny little thing with white petals and a delicate design. It was weak and wouldn't prosper in this war-torn village. But it would work nicely for what she had in mind. 

 

Hitomi moved towards the blonde man, threw the flower onto his bloodied chest before regarding him with an unflinching gaze. 

 

"I'm sorry. I don't know you, but thank you."

 

An unknown man had saved her. A man who knew her body's name, but not her name, and saved her still. That kind of courage didn't mean nothing to Hitomi; while she preferred to laze around, she couldn't ignore the sheer courage the blonde man showed in the face of danger.

 

He knew he had no chance of winning - but he still faced the murderer. To her, he was an insanely cool human being. She'd remember him, even when no one else would. It was no exaggeration to say that his sacrifice was the reason she was still breathing right now. 

 

Hitomi clenched her fist. By now, she had learned never to downplay her circumstances. She was unprepared, and a kind stranger suffered for her mistakes. She grit her teeth.

 

No matter how strange her surroundings were, she wouldn't make the same mistake again. As she stared into the warm brown eyes of the dead man she owed so much towards, she swore an oath inside her heart. 

 

'I'll never be this weak again. I'll make sure your sacrifice wasn't in vain. And, I'll find that white-haired man when I'm strong enough to face him.'

 

As for the small child sleeping behind her? Hitomi supposed she could play babysitter for the time being. 

Just until they reached their next settlement.