Onihunter Yuna

52 Determination

"Argh."

Yuna rolled over. Her stomach burned. She coughed, whereby her wound hurt even more. She tasted blood in her mouth. Fitfully panting, she opened her eye.

She was still lying in the woods. Alone and wounded. The blue-haired started to cry. Why had she to suffer so much? What had she done? How could she possibly deserve this?

"Because you're weak.", she whispered to herself. "Get yourself together, damn it."

Determined, the huntress gritted her teeth, with her left hand she groped the wound. The knife was still stuck in her body. Should she pull it out? How long would it take to heal up?

She removed the knife under an outcry. She stashed it in her left pocket, in case an Oni would find her. Then she pressed her left hand on the abdominal wound and began to lift herself up with her right hand.

Each strenuous breath hurt, but what choice did she have? She had to get out of here. To get home. In her bed. The sleep would heal her, but out here were Oni. It was too dangerous to stay and rest here. Tormented, she moved across the floor. It hurt so damn much.

"I can't go on anymore."

Yuna lay down. She concentrated on breathing evenly and flat. She felt dizzy, probably because of the blood loss.

"What should I do?"

She had to get out of here. Otherwise all would be lost. If the Oni would catch her, she was dead. There was no other way. No one would help her, or come to her rescue. She began to sob desperately.

"Stop crying! Go on!"

This voice in her head. Was that herself? "I can't. I'm too tired."

"Of course you can. You only have to get up from your ass."

"What do you know? You're just an illusion."

"I'm the Oni inside you. And I won't let us both die."

"The Oni in me? What is that supposed to mean?"

"What do you think where your power comes from?"

"I don't know."

"We both are one. If you kill, I become stronger and thus you become stronger too."

"So I am a monster."

Yuna rolled onto her back and stared up to the sky. Ghostly mist hovered above her in the night sky.

"I'm done. I want to see mother."

"You won't die so easily. Now turn to the side and pull yourself further."

"I can't."

"Do it!"

The girl breathed a few times, then she held her hand out. With her fingers she clung into the dry soil and began to pull. She pressed her toes against the floor beneath her and pushed herself further for a few centimeters. Her whole body ached, but she managed. She had come forward.

"Do you see now? You can do this."

"Okay."

Again she held out her arm. Again she pulled herself a couple of centimeters. "Yes. I can do this." She repeated the process.

"At last you've got it."

"I'll get us out of here."

After an eternity she got hold on asphalt. Yuna looked around. She had done it. She had reached the walkways. She laughed, but regretted it immediately because of the pain that flew through her body.

"I've done it."

The voice didn't answer.

"We're out of the woods. We made it."

Silence.

"Where are you? ... Hello? ... Oni?"

So she was still alone. She had done it all by herself. She needed no help. She was Yuna. She could do anything. She could just never give up.

The huntress limped down to a park bench. She struggled up to a sitting position and leaned her back against it. Fitfully she gasped, every breath hurt.

Her stomach protested, but she took off the remains of her shirt and wrapped them around her waist. No, she would not die. Not here. Not today. Not before she had killed Tirr.

"Just wait, you bastard. I'll catch you. Next time it's your turn."

She giggled a little. Then she had to laugh. Immediately she stopped in pain. He had spared her again. How stupid was he going to look at her, when she would kill him?

She could feel the efforts of the last hour. Slowly, her eye closed itself.

When Yuna woke up the next time, there were already birds twittering. She still was at the park bench. Her abdominal wound didn't hurt that much anymore. The blue-haired braced her right forearm on the bench and pushed herself up slowly. With much trouble she could get up. She spat some blood out that had collected in her mouth. With insecure and shuffling steps she began to follow the sidewalk.

Whenever she threatened to trip over, the huntress paused and steadied herself. As long as she would not give up, there was nothing able to stop her.

Except from the fence. She could already see it. How the hell should she get over it? That was impossible.

"No. I can do this. I'm getting over it. It's still so far away. I won't be discouraged."

She struggled further forward, constantly the grid in view. Finally her fingers touched the metal. She was there. Yuna took a deep breath, then turned her head and looked back to the forest.

She had come so far. She had dragged herself through the woods. She had overcome the sidewalk. She only had to get on the other side of the fence and then continue on. Get home. She thought of Wataru and Ayumi. Oh yes, the two would surely be mad at her for doing something like this. And Yoshiro too. He would be furious. Again the girl giggled. Like she cared.

She wrapped the fingers of her left hand to a pole and tried to pull herself up. No chance. One-handed that would never work. She gripped with both hands, gritted her teeth and pulled. Her stomach felt as if she would be torn apart. Hard breathing, she let go again. No. No way that this would work.

She followed the grid with her gaze. Maybe she could crawl through beneath it somewhere. She doubted that anyone would climb over the fence. Yuna moved along the grid until she discovered a part which was bent. She went down on her knees and crawled through beneath.

Finally she had left the damn park. She stopped on the sidewalk and allowed herself a moment of peace. It was only a couple of kilometers to her home. She would make it there. Somehow. She only could never give up under any circumstances, then all would be well.

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I wanted to thank you, X_Crazy_Shippings_X for sticking with me and my story. Thank you very much. ^^