Solitude

Chapter Thirty Three: The Beginning of the End

❝One day I'd like to become something precious to others.❞ ㅡ Gaara

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CHAPTER THIRTY THREE:

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

                               By the time Rei reached the forest, the sun was peeking over the horizon. Her muscles felt sore, and she took a relieved breath as she leaned against the truck of a tree and stared off into the distant orb of light. The soft breeze of the morning caressed her damp skin, and she relished in its comforting touch.

"You're back earlier than I was expecting," a voice she was slowly growing used to hearing rang from above her.

Her orange gaze found Kotone sitting on a branch, casually swaying her legs and looking at her with curious eyes.

"I ran into some trouble," Rei explained before pushing off the tree and turning away from the glaring rays of the sun.

A hum echoed in the air, before the bluenette joined her on the ground. "Well, that was expected. Are you satisfied, though?"

Shooting her an annoyed look, Rei gave a sigh and pursed her lips. No, she thought.

"Yes," her mouth said.

Kotone looked at her in a way that let her know she wasn't buying her lie, yet the taller girl didn't call her out on it and simply put her hands behind her head. "Am I allowed to know why we've wasted time here?"

Upon receiving no answer, she glared at Rei and puffed her cheeks. Before she could complain about it, however, something caught her attention and she stopped walking.

"What is it?" Rei asked after noticing her companion wasn't following her anymore.

An annoyed expression was drawn on her face, and she sighed in apparent exasperation. "We're about to get company."

At that, Rei focused on her surroundings. And soon enough, a voice she would recognize everywhere was carried by the wind towards her.

"You know them," Kotone concluded as she observed her closely. "Friends?"

"Once," she replied in a low voice. "Right now, I don't know. I guess it depends on their intentions."

"How many do you sense?"

Closing her eyes, Rei diverted her attention to the approaching group as the distance between them became smaller with each passing second. "Six."

With a thoughtful expression, the other girl hummed. "I count seven. There's a group of six coming from the east, yet I can hear another person approaching from the west."

"From Suna," Rei realized.

There was only one person who could manage to deceive her and take her by surprise — he had proven so back in Konoha some days ago. Her eyes found Kotone, and the latter couldn't hold back a groan.

"Just how popular are you, Rei?" Her face quickly dropped and all humour faded. "At this point, we have to expect the worst: they will try to take you back to that village."

"Yeah," she agreed. "Knowing them, especially Naruto, they won't care about what I want and will just try to drag me back. I understand they must feel betrayed, but this is my life. And my choice."

Kotone gave her a long stare, before both girls turn to the east and started running. They were aware of the ugly situation they were in, as no matter how much Rei could complain and fight back, they were in a clear disadvantage. Yet there was something else to it, something that made her heart ache. She didn't know what hurt more: the fact that her friends weren't allowing her to find the peace she so much needed after knowing how badly things had gone, or the probability of being forced into a battle that would change everything.