Unbreakable Bonds 《Book 2》

Chapter 19

-3rd Person-

Mizuki's heart races as she tears through the suffocating corridors of the dimly lit hideout. The air is thick, every breath feeling like it's scraping her throat. The walls seem to close in on her, the shadows stretching long and menacing, twisting her fear into something almost tangible. She has to find him—she can't bear the thought of losing him again.

"S-Sasuke-san... where are you?" Her voice trembles, barely more than a whisper, but the desperation in it echoes in her ears. Tears sting her eyes, blurring her vision as she flings open another door, only to be met with the same haunting emptiness.

Nothing. Just more shadows, more silence.

She clutches the doorframe for support, her legs threatening to give out under the weight of her panic. Each door she opens, each empty room she sees, chips away at her hope, and she's struggling to keep herself together.

"Please... just let me find him..." Mizuki whispers to herself, her words drowned by the sound of her ragged breathing. Her throat tightens as she fights back the tears, her vision swimming. She doesn't have time for tears—not now. But they fall anyway, hot and heavy, tracking down her cheeks as she stumbles forward.

She reaches for another door, her hands shaking uncontrollably as she pulls it open. "N-nothing..." she murmurs, the word almost lost to her choked sobs. She slams the door shut with a cry of frustration, the sound reverberating down the empty hall.

As she turns, another corridor stretches out before her, seeming endless. Her pulse pounds in her ears, her heart aching with every step. Every shadow seems to move, every whisper of wind sounds like his voice, calling her name. But it's just her imagination, playing cruel tricks on her exhausted mind.

Suddenly, she rounds a corner and slams into someone. Her heart skips a beat, her breath catching in her throat as she looks up, only to see Sakura's concerned face staring back at her.

"Mizuki! Are you okay? Why are you crying?!" Sakura's voice is gentle, but laced with worry. She kneels in front of Mizuki, her hands hovering just inches from the younger girl's shoulders, unsure whether to comfort her or give her space.

Mizuki's lip trembles as she tries to speak, but all that comes out is a pathetic whimper. She feels so small, so helpless. "Sa-Sasuke-san... I want to s-see Sa-Sasuke-san!" she finally cries out, her voice breaking as the tears spill over.

Without a second thought, Sakura pulls Mizuki into a tight embrace, her arms wrapping protectively around her. "We'll find him, I promise," she whispers, her voice a soothing balm to Mizuki's frayed nerves. 

"You're doing everything you can, Mizuki. We'll bring him back together."

Mizuki clings to Sakura, taking comfort in the warmth of her embrace, but the knot of fear in her chest doesn't ease. She watches as Sakura stands and continues down another hallway, the older girl's determination clear in her every step.

As Mizuki wipes away her tears, a thought creeps into her mind, unbidden and unwelcome. Sakura still loves Sasuke... The realization twists her insides with a pang of something she can't quite name—jealousy, fear, uncertainty. It all mixes together, confusing her even more.

She shakes her head, trying to push the thought away. There's no time for that, not when Sasuke could be just around the next corner. She forces herself to her feet, her body trembling with exhaustion, but her resolve hardening like steel. 

"I-I have to find him... I can't give up," she tells herself, her voice steady despite the quiver in her heart.

She starts running again, her footsteps echoing in the empty halls. Every door she opens, every shadow she confronts, feels like a battle against the overwhelming despair threatening to consume her. But she refuses to let it win. Not when Sasuke might be so close.