Journey of the Three Failures

Chapter 28: The Eye That Sees the World

Journey of the Three Failures

Twenty-Eight: The Eye That Sees the World

Part One: Glare

Neji ネジ

The blow was stunning; its speed alone might have been dumbfounding, even had I retained any breath.

Cruel pain stuck with the force to bend me double, but I was denied the chance to by a fist that snapped my head to the side, sending spittle flecking from my lips, before a lightning-sharp uppercut crashed up across my jaw, landing with an excruciating crack and jamming my teeth shut.

The world flared bright, dark, both at once. I blinked in bewilderment as I sailed end over end, my mouth finally opening, as I struck down on the back of my neck, to expel a bloody cry of pain.

I bounced, rolled several times, coughed – and looked up to see a girl leaping toward me, a five-foot tall fiend with snarling teeth bared and claws poised to strike, three rings of darkness set firm on each of her pale wrists, ankles, and neck. There was no more compassion in her wild white eyes.

Realizing this, I recoiled where I sat, face paling with one horrific notion as my eyes grew.

Sh-she...

She really will kill me!

Hanabi ハナビ

WHAM!

The ground shook at the impact; Neji, having rolled aside, was stumbling to his feet as Nee-chan rose, her back hunched, and moved toward him again.

Her claws pierced her own palm sharply enough to send black blood splattering to the grass.

Neji slipped narrowly aside, teeth clenched, as a scythe of dark power lanced past him. I clung to Chichi-ue's body, barely withholding a shrinking shriek of alarm as the same attack blasted by within a few feet of us, tearing the earth and crackling with intensity. My eyes were wide, still numb with shock.

She c-can't... see me...?

But Father... or, h-his body... I wasn't strong enough to move him, but I couldn't leave him here!

"You're not safe here!" Accompanying the voice of a young man I hadn't heard approach was the press of a hand against my back, and the sight of another hand slipping to lie against Father's arm. Suddenly we were on the sidelines once more, a safe distance from my rampaging sister.

Beside us Hiryuu turned his head through his shock, appalled. Harumi, Hikujaku, and Hitaka looked on, pale. Chest giving a shudder, Hiryuu pressed a hand to his mouth; wincing, the man almost seemed to begin to sway before he fell to his knees, head down.

There was still a knot in my throat. "Oji-san...?"

He looked up, turning wide eyes toward the corpse again. It was stark on his face – terror. He did not know what to think, what to do, what calamity lay ahead or how to face it.

Things were very bad.

He spoke quietly, lost and aghast.

"The clan's rightful head, and its Seer... Both lie dead...?"

I whimpered. My eyes shut, and I clasped a hand at my heart. I felt sick.

This can't be real. It can't be...

Hyuuga Neji... I will never forgive you!

Hinata ヒナタ

He escaped the range of a slash, tried to retreat – and yelled as I came to be at his side, seizing him by the hair to jerk him to a halt.