The Veins Of Time ( Ruki X Uruha).

Chapter 2 - Denial is Regret

Dying, me...now that's a total lie I think to myself, I mean I almost laughed out loud but stopped myself at the last minute.

I do have the chest pains and my memory gets blurry from time to time, still that doesn't mean that I am dying.

The next few hours was a lot of rushing about and hushed whispered and then more silence after that. The more I watched them run around, the more I doubted myself and then denied everything. I am Uruha, the time traveler, the one person that has saved lives, the person who makes sure everyone lives and yet...yet so many were lost or will be lost depending on whatever angle of time you look at it from.

I meet people just as a passerby and then something would happen and I would save those people around me but there are still memories burned into the back of my mind; the memories that I dare not to speak of and yet they are always there haunting me. Uruha; the guy who lives but at what cost.

I might have said this before but I will say it again or for the first time if I haven't said it before, like I said my memory gets blurry from time to time. It's like all the recent and good memories fade but the others; they stay around to taunt my existence. Anyway back to the thought at hand and what I was going to say: there are many secrets hidden within these walls and as long as you don't know them then everything is a mystery.

For the entirety of that day a lot of things were still unknown, you could say that there were many mysteries lurking through these caves. The secrets, the mysteries; all these things are unlocked by time itself. As a time traveler I know that for certain. And so I waited, I watched the figures run around, discussing things amongst themselves and they would bring their voices down to a whisper whenever they would past by the cell I was in.

It was just me now by the way, even Kai started rushing around like the others here. Though sometimes he stops in front of the cell for just a split second and it's like I can see a hint of sadness in his eyes.

Uruha, the guy who meets so many people and yet is still alone, here and there, just about everywhere.

I sigh going and sitting in the corner of the cell wondering what they are walking about in hushed tones. Time travelers don't actually die, we heal ourselves when near death by changing our appearance. Then there are times such as in the recent years where my kind has been slowly going down in population. There is only so much change we can take and that's it; then it is the end I guess.

But me, nah I am nowhere near my limit; I would know, I would feel it within me. I may not be as young as I look but I am definitely not old either. Denial is a strong thing, right? I didn't see it at the time; laughing off the pain, shrugging off the thoughts that clouded my mind.

Time passed I couldn't tell how fast or slow anymore; I tried to recall memories, friends , anyone that matter to me. Though all my mind brings back is blurred images, nothing is clear...not anymore.

I lean back against the wall with my head in my hands, memories are what keep us alive. We transfer those memories to the new appearance we turn into. If there is no memories then we become an empty shell, ever so annoyed and angry with ourselves for not being able to reach back what is waiting for us in the time around us. That's the whole point of being born into this race; to control over time, to not forget, to help and move on.

With all that said and done then why I am sitting here, not remembering a Goddamn thing. Why?! Who am I, who have I become?

I reach out and rub the back of the food tray, I look out at myself, the reflection of me and sigh. It feels like I am missing something, a big chunk of my life, just disappeared from my mind. Something important maybe, something I have to remember, something I mustn't forget.

I am deep in thought and frustration that I almost don't hear the sound of footsteps; clicking of thick heeled boots coming closer towards my cell.

I put the tray down and look up to see that Kai has returned and is standing in front of the bars.

"It's your time" He says, the sadness still lingering in his eyes but it's seems less than before. Time has always been mine, but still I can't resist but ask.

"Time for what?" I ask as he takes a tiny step closer and turns a key into a lock, with that I hear the door to the cell open.

"Time for you to meet our master." He replies as he walks inside, I get up on my feet.

"Alright, lead the way then." I reply as a mix of emotions run through my mind. It's like I have lost track of the thoughts that were wizzying through my mind and now I am unsure and yet excited to see this 'master' that has been mentioned before.

Kai leads me out of the cell and through several thin tunnels, all connected probably buried in the depths of the ground that are usually walked on. Somewhere hidden and out of sight; a place even more darker than the sky above this planet itself.

Finally we come across two large wooden door, they are painted a dark red color, my mind wanders between the possibility of it actually being paint or just blood.

He knocks three times and pulls his cloak over his head and then we hear a voice, then one that said ' you know what to do.' when I had first known that I was not alone in this place.

"Come in" the voice says from behind the wooden doors, Kai turns the door handle and walks in. I slowly follow in behind.

You would wonder why I hadn't run away right from the moment that my cell door was open, or why didn't I take a chance at doing so when while walking through so many corridors that led us to this place.

It's because within the days I had been stuck one small space, I had figured out that this was the key to my answers; the 'where' and ' what are they' questions that I had asked my myself at the beginning, answers to all that was hidden within the secrets of this cave system that they had built. Since I had come all this way, I was definitely not going to turn my back on everything and leave when I had gotten so close.

So there I stood just inches away from the doors and there was a figure standing in the shadows of the room.

"Master, I bought him here just like you asked." Kai spoke up causing the figure to turn around and face both us right on.

The moment I saw him, that figure, I remember...I remember everything.