It's You and Us

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟓: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝

  A gust of wind passed through the forest, making the branches and leaves of the trees sway back and forth; the only source of noise at the moment was the constant rustling. The dark and cold atmosphere settled in and replaced the light and warmth of the day. In a green and prosperous clearing, where if one entered could see the tell-tale signs of the constant sprouting and blooming of various plants, there laid a body, devoid of movement and consciousness.

Among the living daisies and poppies, the fresh breathing of Mother Nature that seemed to sway the elm trees rhythmically; his unmoving and unconscious body would seem like the only one withering without any life, ceasing to flourish, unlike the fruition and vegetation surrounding him.

Hinata laid there, unable to move, his limbs feeling heavy. He tried opening his eyes, but it was all in vain. Just like the rest of his body, his eyelids seemed to carry an invisible weight.

He frowned as he came to a realization, 'This doesn't feel like my bed, where am I!?' he thought, as the traveling cold wind hit his bare arms making him involuntarily shiver, the sensation of wet grass under him, the smell of soil and fresh dew invading his nostrils.

Unable to do much at the moment, he started to wiggle his fingers as to get movement back into his body, it took a few minutes to gain stimulation but once he did he was able to sit up. His eyes fluttered open, blinking to adjust his vision. Amber eyes surveyed the green setting that he was in. 'What happened!? Where am I!? And how did I end up here!?' Questions upon questions seemed to fill his mind, not able to answer any of them, he tried racking his brain for an answer but he didn't even recall the last thing he was doing before ending up here.

Groaning, he stood up and stretched his sore legs and arms. 'I should get out of here, my parents must be sick with worry'. Spotting an open trail he decided to go in that direction, the only source of light being the moon and stars illuminating his path helping him see where he was going.

As the forest cleared, it gave way to the entry of —what looked like— a town, the slight fog made it hard to see what was in front of him. Anxiety started to creep up, he felt his stomach do somersaults making him slightly nauseous, the hairs on his nape stood on end; he didn't recognize any of his surroundings, 'where exactly am I!?' The buildings looked unfamiliar, everything about this town looked unfamiliar. The names on the buildings of what he assumed were stores and small shops seemed rather odd too. 'What in the hell is a 'Sanitatem Centrum',' he thought confusedly as he scrutinized the words that were on a tall and dark building as he tried to make sense of what they meant, '...is it even Japanese!? What language is it even in?'

His gut feeling told him that this was not his hometown. He was definitely somewhere else, but where exactly?

The thought of waking up in another city or town much less in the middle of a freaking FOREST! Made shivers run down his spine. He looked around desperately, looking for a sign of where he was. Thoughts of being kidnapped and dumped in the forest plagued his mind, being the only plausible explanation for his current whereabouts.

His first plan of action to get out of this unusual situation was to call his parents, he just needed to find a store that was open at this hour to borrow their telephone.

So, he took off, walking on the cobblestone street, the lamp posts being the only source of light at the moment; seeking out stores that had a hanging flyer that said open in front of their window.

As Hinata wandered around, he couldn't stop thinking of ways he would explain his predicament to his parents, what was he even supposed to say, 'oh, yeah, I just seemed to have woken up in the middle of a forest, in another town, with no idea of how I got here in the first place, and having no recollection of what I last did leading up to this.' He would sound like an outright lunatic, be put in a mental asylum against his will.

As Hinata was deep in thought, he didn't notice the increasing footsteps behind him, until too late when he was suddenly roughly pushed against the cobblestone floor.

He let out a sharp cry as his head hit the ground, his head started throbbing from the impact, bleeding profusely, making his vision blur.

"What do we have here," a tall man with a beard adorning his face chuckled mockingly, "...a pretty little thing aren't ya"

Fear coursed through his veins at a rapid pace, his breathing coming in shallow puffs. 'no, no, no, no, this can't be happening, I just want to get out of here, this can't be happening to me.'

"Get... get away from me!," Hinata weakly yelled since he was fighting back the black spots that threatened to engulf his vision.

As the man grabs him by the arms, Hinata swings back his right foot upwards to land a hard and solid hit on his crotch. The man let goes of his grip, howling in pain. Hinata determinedly makes a run for it, but the man catches up to him quickly, grabbing his arm and pulling him harshly towards him, he cries out sharply as the man yanks his head back by the orange strands of his curly locks.

As the man was about to start unbuckling his pants, a person with dark hair rounded the corner; upon landing their eyes on what was happening, they took immediate action and landed harsh punches on the man's face, drop-kicking him and slamming his head against the hard concrete.

The man laid there, unconscious and bloodied, his face unrecognizable after the onslaught of kicks and punches.

With eyes as wide as saucers, Hinata's trembling body turned to his savior.

A woman in her late forties, paired with dark almond shaped eyes, black straight hair that reached her shoulders, an enraged expression on her pretty face, aimed towards the pathetic scumbag on the floor.

Hinata felt an overwhelming relief of gratefulness towards her, his lip trembled and eyes watered of just thinking about what could have happened to him if it weren't for this godsent person intervening at the right time.

She turned her gaze on him, her facial expression immediately softening to one of great concern. Hinata heaved a relieved sigh, knowing that he was safe.