Smokescreen: A Collection of Vignettes

Chapter 23

Honestly, I think this is one of my better pieces of Sakura being hunted.

Sakura had been running through the woods for a while, now. She had been on her evening walk when she discovered that someone was following her. She had tried calling out to them, but they hadn't responded. The dirt muffled their footsteps, but she could hear the rustling of the bushes. However, it was the chilling laughter that had sent her running.

Big mistake.

That led her to where she was now. Taking a deep breath, she pulled out the sais Empress Mileena had gifted her. Sakura loved the feel of them in her hands. The weight was perfect. She lifted both of her weapons and they collided with another weapon that came seemingly out of nowhere. Sakura immediately checked her surroundings and listened for signs of a weapon flying through the air.

'To the right.'

Turning to her right, she blocked the weapon. It moved too fast for her to see what kind of weapon it was. It was upon blocking another attack that she realized that she had seen this before. The trail of faint smoke that trailed the weapon should have been her clue. Her beloved, late husband, Tomas, had done this whenever he fought. He had been dead for nearly two years already. Damn, how she missed that man.

"Leave me alone, imposter." Sakura growled.

It was hard to keep the facade of a hardened warrior up. Just thinking of her late husband made her feel depressed. He was the only man that she had ever loved. No matter how much time had passed, the grief never really disappeared. Now, she was being hunted by, presumably, one of his doubles, or possibly a shapeshifter. The barrier between timelines had long since closed but there were a few characters that didn't belong still running around.

Another laugh. As soon as she deflected another attack, she dashed off again. Sakura needed to get out of the woods as quickly as she could. There was a portal that would lead her to the Wu Shi Academy. There, she would know what her next steps would be.

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A hooded figure emerged from a cloud a smoke. He wore what looked like a gas mask on his face and black armor. Gray eyes narrowed as they focused on their quarry. Dark Smoke was so incredibly close. The predator in him roared to continue the hunt for his prize. His sweet, sweet wife.

"Keep running sweetheart. I'm just getting started."

Dark Smoke vanished.