Unbreakable Bonds 《Book 2》

Chapter 21

-Mizuki-

The ceiling above me is white—stark, clean, and unfamiliar. I blink slowly, struggling to adjust to the brightness as it blurs the edges of my vision. My head throbs, sending dull waves of pain through my skull, but I can't close my eyes again. I feel... heavy. Like my body is sinking into the hospital bed, completely disconnected from the world.

The faint beeping of machines fills the silence, blending with the steady hum of life in the hospital around me. I turn my head slightly, trying to understand where I am, and that's when I see them—Papashi, Onii-chan, and Sakura. They're standing at the foot of my bed, their bodies outlined against the brightness, but their voices are muffled, like I'm submerged underwater.

I try to focus on their faces, but everything is blurred. Their expressions are strained, and their mouths move, but it's all jumbled, distant, and out of reach. It's like I'm watching from a faraway place, disconnected from everything. I want to call out to them, to ask what's going on, but my throat feels raw, my voice trapped deep inside.

I try to move my arms, but my body doesn't respond. It's like every muscle has forgotten how to function. Panic starts to rise in my chest, my heartbeat quickening in response. 

Why can't I move? What happened to me? Why am I here?

Then it hits me, all at once, like a floodgate being ripped open. Memories crash into my mind, forcing me to remember.

The mission.

Sasuke-san.

I gasp softly, the rush of thoughts overwhelming. The retrieval mission. We were so close. I was so close. I can still see it all in my mind—the hideout, the cold air, and the desperation that filled every corner of my heart as we came face-to-face with Sasuke-san. My chest tightens painfully at the thought of him. I wanted to get closer to him, to say something, anything. I wanted him to see me, to hear me, but... Yamato stopped me.

I feel a fresh wave of anger surge through me, burning in my veins. Yamato didn't understand. He doesn't know what it's like... what Sasuke-san means to us. He wrapped me in those suffocating roots, holding me back, keeping me away from Sasuke-san. I wanted to scream at him, to tell him to let me go, but my voice... my voice failed me, just like my body had.

Why did he stop me?

I close my eyes, trying to block out the memory, but it's too late. It plays over and over in my head like a nightmare I can't escape. I remember watching Sasuke-san walk away, slipping further and further into the darkness, and I was powerless to stop him. Again.

I failed.

The word echoes through my mind, twisting and curling inside me like a knife. We all failed the mission, but somehow, I feel like I failed more than anyone else. I wasn't strong enough. I wasn't brave enough. I wasn't enough. My chest aches with the weight of it all, the guilt, the frustration, the helplessness.

What could I have done differently? Should I have fought harder? Should I have tried to break free from Yamato's jutsu? If I had pushed harder, maybe I could've reached Sasuke-san. Maybe I could've spoken to him, made him understand that we're still his family. That I'm still waiting for him to come back.

Would that have made a difference?

The tears sting the corners of my eyes, but I blink them away. Crying won't change anything. It won't bring Sasuke-san back to me, to us. It won't undo the mistakes we made.

"Onii-chan..." I whisper, my voice hoarse and barely audible. The sound is weak, almost pitiful, and I don't even know if it escaped my lips or if it was just a thought. I'm too exhausted to tell the difference anymore.