Nightmare
Running, just running like my life is depending on it. My legs can’t take me any faster than they already are. I look behind me; fearing, dreading, foreboding, of the person chasing me. It’s not that I want to flee; it’s not that I want to feel this way. I don’t desire to look behind me; it’s not that I don’t want to see my hunter. I’m more afraid of if I look behind me, I will be looking back into my past.
Looking forward; I don’t want to be running anymore. I never had this in my plan of life. I dread looking behind me again, but still I do anyway. I hear myself gasp. My pursuer has gained more ground than I would have liked. I look back ahead of me; all I could see are trees and bushes in my way, always getting scratches over my skin. Already, I’ve lost track of how long I have been running.
Tripping on a tree root, it feels like I’m in slow motion before I fall to the ground. I’m trying to get back up, but then I feel a foot on my back, keeping me from running like the wind. Turning my head, I could see my capture; my eyes go to the size of saucers. He starts speaking, “You will never get the hint will you,” the man says. He has short brown shaggy hair with black all knowing eyes. He looks about 6 foot from where I was laying on the ground. With just a black cloak on, I couldn’t see what he was wearing underneath. The man smirks at me and says in a smug voice, “You are coming with me.” I freeze, scared to death. No, I’m not going anywhere with this man. He goes to grab my hair. All I can think of what to do was to scream my lungs out.
All of the sudden I’m jolting upright in my bed, screaming. Panting for fresh air, I lift a clammy hand to my forehead. Blinking, I look at the clock; it reads 4:32am. Damn, it’s early, lying back down on my bed, looking away from that stupid annoying black clock. My mind goes back to the nightmare I had…again. Sighing, it’s finally been a week of having the same nightmare. Why am I having the same one every night? Should I be concerned about this? I’m so tired that my eyelids start drifting back down, but I don’t want to go back to sleep. I force myself to stay awake, not wanting to have two nightmares in one night.
I ponder on other things, thinking of the past was not one of my favorite things to do, but it just comes up without me knowing it. Reflecting on what could have happened if my parents lived through death. Tears start to come to my eyes, I notice, and did the thing I was best at, I stop thinking. Wiping the tears from my eyes, I sit up. I can’t take it being in here any longer. Getting up out of bed, I walk over to my closet. Taking clean clothes out, I go to my bedroom door, looking at the annoying black clock on the way. Seeing it read 4:50am, I open and walk out the door, closing it behind me. Departing down the hall, I go past one door that belongs to my Grandfather, just walking past, not spearing a glance at it. I get to the bathroom, opening the door, and walked in.
After a quick 5 minute shower I dry off and I dress in my clean cloths containing; a black shirt with the sleeves that end at my elbows. I get on my blue jeans, adding a brown belt to hold them up. I grab my brown vest that only goes to my mid-torso. I start drying my hair with a towel, trying to dry it anyway. I look in the mirror, seeing my hair. With all the mats and knots, I reach for my hair brush. With my waist long hair, it’s always a pain to brush it out. With a sigh of relief after finishing, I lay the brush down. I grab a hair tie and place my hair into a high ponytail. I look at myself in the mirror and make a satisfied smirk. I hang up my towel and dispose my dirty clothes into the hamper.
I walk out of the bathroom and go back to my bedroom. I stroll to my closet and open it up to take out; my sandals from the floor, my katana that is leaning against the right wall. I set the things on my bed, and sat at the foot of the bed, pulling my sandals on to my feet. I grab my katana from the bed and I store it behind me, I did the strap in front of me so I could grab at it with my right hand.
I walk to the right side of my bed; reaching for my backpack that sat on a chair next to the bed. It was a birthday present I acquired when I turned ten, and now I’m sixteen. It’s special, being an endless abyss almost, never seeing the bottom . . . if it even had one. I was able to pack my things within seconds with the help of my “special abilities.” Doing one of my many things, I levitate the items I want to keep and put them in my backpack. I zip it up after I finish and strap it on my back also. I stride to my bedroom door and I look at my now almost empty bedroom, remembering all the good and bad times I had while growing up. I look at my very-annoying-black clock one more time; it read 5:13am. With a sad sigh, I open the door and walk out, closing it behind me for the last it. I hoped.
I tip-toe to the stairs, just off to the right, and go down. I briskly walk into the kitchen. I find a piece of paper and a pencil in one of the many drawers in the kitchen. With the paper on the counter, I start to write my goodbye letter.
Grandpa,
I’m sorry that I’m saying goodbye in a letter, but it must happen. I love you and will always. Please do not look for me.
Love,
Mizuki Tsukiko
I finish up with the letter for my grandfather. I walk to the front door, looking ahead; I didn’t want to remember the things I loved to do when I was younger. Close my eyes, I open the door and walk through, closing it behind me. Reopening my eyes and shutting off all my thoughts. I sprint for the forest; I was running at the speed of sound. I got the edge of the woods within a half of a second, amazed that there was no boom left in my wake.
I really did not want to look back, but it’s like a magnet that’s making me look. I gaze at the house I once did call home, now wishing to go back to and be that naïve little girl that I was so long ago. I remember I would come here when I was younger, not being able to wait to see my Grandma and Grandpa. Tears start to come to my eyes; I want to be strong, I want to be able to tell my only living relative what I have gone through this past week, but I’m not that strong, and never will be. I wish I could go back in time, to just stay there in my most favorite memory, forever, to remember what it felt like to really smile; not the façade I wear when around people. I let the tears fall this time; I hate how weak I am, I ignore that I’m told that I’m the most powerful person known to man.
I didn’t even bother to wipe the tears from my eyes; I turn around and was running into the forest head on. I ignore the branches that were making scratches on my arms and clothes. Running, like I do with every other thing I do. I still couldn’t think of why this had to be me, why could it be someone else. Being this special, I hate it. People expect me to do great things with all the things I set my hands to. I loathe my life so much.
Running, fleeing, regretting, I always experience these things in my life after my parents died. When I got to a clearing, I fell to my knees, crying. At least there was no one around. I scream into the forest, scaring the forest creatures away. I couldn’t take it anymore. “WHY ME,” I shriek into the forest. I cry there for who know how long.
I’m able to stop crying and get to my feet. I swayed to the left a bit, but I regained my balance. I feel so much better after crying like that. Walk to the other side of the small clearing. When getting there, I start to run at the speed of sound again. I didn’t stop till I had to; I wanted as much ground between my old home and me.
After numerous hours of running, I start to see the mountain range I’m looking for. This mountain range can go for ten’s of miles. I finally see a pathway going through the mountain. I run the rest of the way, and I look up the dirt path.
Yes, I get that my life was never like a story book, but I always want that to happen sometime to me in this life time. This life, I still have no idea why it just had to be me. Why couldn't it be someone living this life of torture. Living, what was the meaning of it? I was asked that once, and I had no idea how to answer because I still need to find that answer myself.
Walking down this dirt path through the mountains is like my life when I think about it. Thinking of the way it swerves left and right, where it never goes straight. With the tree’s hanging over the path and bushes that went to my waist in height, it looks eerie to me. The tree branches where to thick and not much sunlight could get through. I’m starting to think that the sun is setting, but when I think so, the tree branches where getting thinner. Allowing more sunlight to get through them and then to me. I must be getting closer to the end of the dirt path.
I can see the end now and start running for the light that is at the end of the tree like tunnel. I get to the end and see what is waiting for me. There I stop, frozen with fear. My eyes go to the size of saucers, it could not be, but I think that...I can’t think straight. All because of this one person in front of me, I thought I was over this, but I’m not.
That man, the one I thought I was not afraid of anymore, is standing just a few feet in front of me. My worst fears might just come to life. I can’t move; I feel paralyzed because of him. This person, this man…was my old Sensei. He knows all I know about fighting. I was never able to beat him in sparing, but that was when I was 12 years old.
He looks at me, making a face looking bewildered. He has light brown, short hair. With those piercing black eyes, I become frozen to the bone. Why is this happening to me? All I want is to be left alone. The man of my worst fears starts to speak, “Mizuki, it’s been so long,” he makes a fake pained expression, “I have missed you so dearly.” What is he talking about? Is he going to attack me already and drag me back home? “You must be wondering why I have not attacked you and already start to drag you back home.” Oh, I forgot…he is a mind reader…damn…
“Yes, I have been wondering why Hikaru-Sensei,” I respond back, yes, that’s what he wants, I know it. We kept eye contact through the encounter so fare. He simply looks at me, now I’m really thinking that he does care…no! Don’t think Mizuki, he is a mind reader!
“Wow, as slow as ever, hmm, Mizu,” he chuckles. What, I’m not…I just did it again. I’m the one to break the eye contact. I look up at the sky, where the clouds are going by.
“Hmm…,” Hikaru says. He starts to walk toward me, taking small, slow steps. I could feel myself start sweating from the stress I’m in. What does he want with me? “I’m not going to take you back Mizu. I myself will not be going back,” he finally answers my question.
What, again that word pops into my head. He always confuses me and never once did I understand what goes on in that head of his. When my mind came back to earth I could see now that he was looking down at me. I was looking straight into his chest. I look up, and look him in the eye. “I want you to travel with me, Mizuki,” is what he asks after a few seconds.
I think I forgot how to breathe for a second…he must be lying. He has never asked me once to be with him before. When I was younger, all he did was help me train when my father was away on missions. “W-W-What!?” I practically scream. It takes me a bit to find my voice again after what he has asked of me. “Why…Why would you want me to be with you? You always called me a pest when I was younger an-“Hikaru cuts me off mid-sentence by putting his index finger on my lips. I find myself blush a light pink. He chuckles at me, why…the world my never know.
“Because, you seem to have grown up and have seen the painful side of the real world,” he tells me. It seems like he has more to say, so I keep my trap shut. “You know what?” he asks me…and of course I don’t know. He chuckles at me again and makes a smirk. He leans in, closer to my ear and says,” You look cuter with your hair down.” At that comment, I blush like mad; I’m as red as a tomato. He starts to lean away and just looking at my red face.
Why am I blushing? I’m so confused with myself right now. Yeah, he might look hot, but he is still my teacher, my Sensei. I end up looking away and look at the ground. He has on a brown cloak, so I can’t see what he is wearing underneath. He reaches to grab my chin and lifts it back up. I couldn’t move my head because of the hold he has on it. Hikaru moves my head so we make eye contact once more. He smirks at me the next second. Now what was so amusing?
“You,” he tells me. I c**k up an eyebrow, will I ever understand anything he says or does…I bet never…ugh…I hate this. I never thought my life would end up this way. I don’t think going with him is a good idea, but I’m lonely. I dislike not having someone to rant to sometimes. I can’t really trust him; I can’t let my guard down till I absolutely know that it’s safe. I hope I’m making the right chose.
“Alright, I guess I can go with you…,” I say, giving my final answer. I shake my head from his grasp and back up a step. I look to the ground, like there is nothing else in the world that is more interesting at that very moment. I hear a sigh, great. Does he not . . . damn! Why do I keep on doing this to myself? Seconds later I hear a chuckle . . . ugh . . . I hate this.
“Can you please finish that thought?” Hikaru asks me. Why would he want me to finish my thoughts for? I can choose to finish them or not, they are my thoughts. I hear another chuckle from in front of me. I growl at him. Why can’t he just stop reading my thoughts and leave me in peace. Hikaru looks mad at me now. All I did was just growl at him…how pathetic.
“Mizu…how can you say that about me? I made you an offer and now you mock me?” he makes a fake pained emotion, “that really hurt,” Hikaru steps in front of me, filling the space between us again. I look to the ground again, scared as to what he is going to do next. “Mizu, do not fret. I understand that you want me to stop, but I can’t just turn this gift off, sorry,” I hear from him.
After that, I feel a hand under my chin. Feeling my face burning, I must be blushing. “Please look at me Mizuki,” Hikaru asks me, and I obey his wish. I look at him now and see that he’s just looking at me. It looks like he’s admiring the way I look. I start to blush a deeper red, if that was possible. Hikaru leans his forehead onto mine, like he use to do when I was younger, while I was frustrated or was just mad. I really miss those days when it would just be me and him. I would train my butt of some days, but I really didn’t care…as long as I was with him. “Mizu, I want to tell you now that if you plan on doing something stupid…worn me first, ok?” he asks me out of nowhere. I try to nod my head, but all I do is just move his hand a bit by my attempt. Hikaru laughs at me. Why am I so funny to him?
Hikaru finally let’s go of my chin and takes a step back. I’m still blushing when he did give back my personal space bubble though. I look to the ground, and not really knowing what to do or say. I hear a chuckle from in front of me. I look up again, and to see in time that he had smirk. I’m tired of him doing that, why is he acting all cocky for anyway. I make myself stop blushing and look away once more, making a ‘hmp’ sound.
“Now, what is wrong?” Hikaru asks, it sounds like he’s getting annoyed with me. So, I end up just rolling my eyes and walking around him. I start to walk down the dirt path again. When I got past him, I hear a sigh and shuffling behind me. This time, it was my turn to smirk. I have HIM following ME…now either he just wants to give me some space or he has something on his mind. I never really did care what he was thinking when I was younger, and still I don’t now. Looking ahead of me, farther down the dirt road we are walking on.
