In Their Shadow

Chapter 16

Warning. If you are easily bothered by subjects of abuse and child hood trauma or anything in relation to abuse, DO NOT READ!

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"The ones who aren't able to acknowledge their own selves are bound to fail." -Itachi Uchiha
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Darkness. That was all Yuma could see. Darkness as far as the light could see. He tried to move his legs but found it impossible to do so, considering he had no feeling of self in the first place, save his conscious of course. He tried the same thing with the rest of his body, but to no avail. Slowly but surely, his memories of moments prior caused him to assume the worst.

"Am...I dead?" He asked himself worriedly, noticing his voice had an echo to it that confused him greatly.

"No. You are quite alive." A voice called out to him from the darkness.

"Y-Yumito?" Yuma asked tentatively.

"Yes, and no. Where as Yumito is the being born from the will of Yuma Ito, I am different. I am Yuma Ito's will personified." The being spoke, his voice echoing within Yuma's very being.

Yuma's brows twitched in annoyance, not getting at all what the voice was saying.

"I sense your confusion. Allow me to explain further. Have you ever been mad, elated, any powerful surge of emotion burst within you, and hear a voice that confers with your beliefs?"

Yuma remained confused before widening his eyes in realization.

"Your the voice I've heard since I was little. The one that would always come up when I was in a bad mood!" Yuma realized.

"Exactly, I have remained dormant for quite some time. It was only til you began your missions as a ninja that I was able to make contact."

"But what makes you different from Yumito?" Yuma asked.

"Yumito is a being born from your will, aka, me. You created him while you were at your lowest, as a form of filling the lonliness within your heart. Eventually, the being known as Yumito gained itself a consciousness of its own. Now, it is more of a being given life by the living will of Yuma Ito, instead of its former role of a mere second being of will itself." The being explained.

"Okay, let me see if I got all this. So, I, or you, created Yumito as a way to cope with my fragile mental state, it was meant to be a sort of healing effect of my will, but due to being in sync with my mind and studying others, it gained a will of its own?" Yuma asked the being.

The being nodded its head.

"Exactly. It began as a coping mechanism born from the will of Yuma Ito, but then gained a mind of it own. It is now the being born from the will of Yuma Ito." The being said, having finished its explanation.

"I see...so, where are we? I know we were fighting that Kimimaro guy, before..." Yuma asked, then trailed off remembering what had happened to his arms.

"Fighting? Don't kid yourself, you were running away." The being said bluntly.

Yuma flinched at the harshness of his will.

"Harsh, but not inaccurate. Hey, if your supposed to be my will, then why are you cutting me down."

"I merely reflect what you feel, I am your will after all. I'm only able to voice that which you feel. So, my assumption is that deep within yourself, you are well aware of your inadequacies and short comings, and use me to remind yourself of your imperfections." The being explained to the flabbergasted Yuma.