Growing Pains

Chapter 20

A month.

One month had passed since her friend was killed. Every day Araile would sit at Takumi's grave and stare into nothingness. Every day she would come to the same grave, sit in the same spot, in the same position. Araile would always rest her chin on her knees, with her arms wrapped tightly around her shins. He was killed because of her.

The villagers had begun to rebuild the buildings that were damaged in the rogue ninja attack, and everyone was working hard. Slowly, the village was coming together.

A tremor wracked through her frame as her stomach let out a pitiful growl. She had barely eaten anything in that month, and it was beginning to show. Her gold eyes had dulled and she had barely talked to anyone, even Shinrai. Her limbs became thin and bony. Her heart felt heavy, and a cold pit had permanently taken up residence inside her stomach. 

It was torture trying to get food into her stomach. Kakashi had brought out a medical nin, much to the girl's annoyance, so he could look at her wounds. They were superficial; cuts and bruises that would heal over time. A medical nin couldn't heal a broken heart though.

A gentle breeze blew through the clearing, causing the leaves on the branches to twitch and dance. A twig snapped nearby, causing her ear to twitch slightly.

"Araile?" a voice said from behind her.

She didn't bother to answer.

"Araile, please come back" the voice said.

Still no answer.

Footsteps sounded from behind her, and Araile barely batted an eyelash when that someone sat down beside her. The smell of peppermint floated into her nose, and her breathing increased slightly. Shinrai. Shinrai was here. Her ear twitched as her friend sighed. He was worried about her.

She barely ate and barely slept.

He could see bags begin to form under her eyes. Her ears were constantly drooped, and she didn't say a word to anyone. Shinrai wanted to comfort her, to grab her and hold her in his arms and never let go. He wanted to take her to the hospital and stay with her until she was better. He wanted to do a bunch of things, but didn't know how to start. Letting out another sigh, he sat beside her and didn't say a word. This would be the next best thing.

Another tremor went through Araile as the wind blew again.

"I'm...a failure" she said quietly, her voice hoarse from the lack of use.

"Huh? No you're not! Is this because of what happened?" Shinrai exclaimed in shock, staring at her with wide eyes.

She nodded slowly.

"Araile, you're not a failure! That crazy guy did this, not you! Takumi wanted to save you, and he did. He wouldn't want to see you like this" Shinrai stated firmly.

She blinked slowly, and with those words the floodgates opened. She buried her head in her knees and slapped a hand to her mouth as sobs raked through her. Tears dripped down her hand and onto her lap as she felt Shinrai put his arm around her shoulders. His body heat began to warm her shaking muscles as she let all of her emotions out.