In My Mind's Eye

Chapter Twenty

Stupid summer reading project. It's killing my writing time. =.=;

I think I'll start updating weekly...

Hopefully.

When I finish the next story on paper.

Bleh...

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I didn't know what to do. Aamori left so often, going to god knows where. She wasn't helping anything at all. How the hell could I keep her safe if she continued what she was doing? How did Kadan even think I could control her at all? I'm only human! Literally! I frowned in irritation, tapping my foot against the dirt.

I waited, like I did every other time she decided to vanish, terrified that she wouldn't come back. Kadan would kill me. I would kill me, too.

I remembered how I first met her. I had kidnapped her. I was told to keep her alive until Kadan came and to kill them both. I couldn't kill her, though. The second that she, as a little toddler, glared at me, commanding me not to leave the chair (as if she could have stopped me), I made up my mind. I would kill Kadan and keep her safe on my own. If not that, I would find someone else to care for her. Screw the government, I thought, and their "secret mission". What did the little girl do to deserve to die? I couldn't think of anything and I still can't. The only thing that made sense to me was that she was more powerful than any person could hope to be. Everyone like her lived anonymously. The government had no idea who was a human and who wasn't. Instead, they hoped that by killing their king and queen and the one strongest in their kingdom, they would leave. But they didn't. The kingdom was thrown into chaos, people not knowing whether to be pissed, mourn, or have hope. Atleast that's what I heard from Kadan.

It was getting late. The darkness was coming and the only light that there was that from the fading sunset and the fire in front of me. It had been nearly a full day since Aamori last left. If she didn't return soon, I might as well just jump off a cliff. I had a feeling that that would be better than the merciless punishment that Kadan would show me.

I heard a slow shuffling coming from behind me. Each step was carefully and quietly taken. I pulled a knife out of my shoe, assuming it was an enemy, but hoping Aamori was finally back.

I could only see a silhouette of who it was, short and lean. They walked with a limp and breathed loudly, exhausted. The figure stopped and looked at me, taking in a breath, as if they were going to speak. They apparently decided against it and continued shuffling towards me, still taking careful steps. They took another step, looking like they were about to collapse, like their knees would buckle at any given moment.

I refused to move, thinking it could be simply someone pretending. In the back of my mind I prayed it wasn't Aamori. What could she have been doing if it were? It looked like her, but I prayed it wasn't. "Aamori?" I whispered uncertainly.

The figure continued shuffling. The head bobbed up and down. I wasn't sure if they were nodding or if they were too tired to try to hold their head up.

I looked in shock as the fire finally illuminated the figure. Platinum blonde hair was tangled and spotted with dried blood. Empty purple eyes stared at me, exhausted. Cuts were littered on her body and her clothes were slightly torn. She had large burns around both her forearms. She stopped shuffling and leaned on her left leg. She opened her mouth to say something. There was silence. She closed her mouth and balanced on both legs again until she hissed in pain and fell to the ground. 

I didn't move for a while. I just stared, not sure if she was an illusion or not. I couldn't breathe. I knew what happened, too. She fought the bastard who killed her parents. She must have won, seeing as how she was alive. If she did, though, why did she look as if she had lost. When she looked at him, her eyes were filled with sadness and defeat. She was injured enough to barely be able to walk.

I was by her side then. I didn't really recall getting up and moving to her, but there I was, kneeling down next to her. I checked over her, running my hands down her right leg to feel if it was broken. I didn't think so. After all, she could walk on it. Her many cuts were shallow. The burns on her arms looked bad enough to blister. I lifted her up carefully, my hands under her knees and back, and walked toward where I thought there was a small river.

After about a mile of walking, I could hear the quietly running water. I set Aamori on the ground next to it, letting her arms hang into the cool water.

She was sleeping soundly. She didn't wake up until late into the next day. When she did, she didn't say anything. She only stared at the burns on her arms and traced the small cuts on her skin. Her right leg bruised, turning purple and red. Once she woke up, I asked her if she wanted to walk back to where we were before. She shook her head no. She answered the same way when I asked her if she wanted me to carry her back. No. She stared at me, sorrow in her eyes. She looked like she was about to break down in tears.

"It's okay," I told her. "You did good." She looked back down at her hands, sitting cross-legged next to the river. "Did you win?" I asked her, trying to get her to talk. She nodded at me, tears spilling out of her eyes. I held her then, being careful of her arms. "You did good," I repeated. "It's okay. You did really good."

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Awwhh... How cuute..

Okay. No they aren't a couple or anything. That'd be creepy. Kit loves Aamori like a dad loves his daughter. I swear. Cause he's a tad too old for her...

And incase you can't tell, this story's wrapping up. Thank god. I'm not liking this story that much to be honest...

The next one I put up will be a LOT better. Honest!

One more chapter! Maybe an epilogue...

I just noticed this still doesn't have a cover. Hmmm...