Gacha Story (Mature Readers Only)

Coming Home

It had been a few days now, since Arya was in the forest, her black outfit torn and shredded by trees and the cuts on her face were evident, red marks across pale face. The whites of her eyes had settled to a black, her pupils rolling behind her green irises in a demonic way. Her hair had lost its colour, her natural detestable red hair replacing the blonde and pink.

Arya didn't want to run away from home. She had felt like her life was a whole lie. Ever since she was adopted, she wanted to believe that everything she knew was true, but Shadow had lied to her. She trusted him the most, as much as she trusted her mother, and to find out he'd keep something so big from her... well, it was like nothing was real anymore. Nothing she knew could ever be real because no one could be honest to a person like her.

Years of their relationship, this friendship... what was it even for?

She couldn't actually kill Avocado, even though he had been the one to leave her in a forest when Dreamer had thought she was taken to an adoption centre, because he was still Shadow's father and Crystal's wife. It was selfish for her to kill him without thinking about them. And what about Roxy and Nia too, without a father?

Arya knew what it was like to have her father leave her - to not have a father and she didn't actually want them to experience it either, even though she hated Shadow for not telling her.

Livia, above all, didn't deserve all this - she was only trying to help Arya and now Arya was the one causing trouble, worrying her when it wasn't her that should be hurt. Dreamer had come back into her life and Livia had seemed okay about it, but Arya knew she wasn't because Dreamer had no right to come back to her after leaving her like that.

I have to come back home... for my mother...

Arya's eyes returned back to normal, black fading to white and her bloodied sword in her hand vanished from her power, the blood falling thick onto the ground. Like an aeroplane, she took off from the dark ground and flew above the ground, flying out of the area to make her way back home.

***

By the time she got home, it was morning already. She hovered over her bedroom window before opening it using a lock pick she created with her power and snuck through the open window. She landed, tangled in the curtains on her now dirtied rug, black jeans torn from her journey. Shutting the window behind her, she brushed the dirt off the rug, sweeping it into the bin under her table.

There was a click and the door opened, followed by a worried Livia, who greeted her with sheer panic.

Arya simply waved it off, because she already knew how much her mother cared about her, and she didn't need to tell her it. In fact, Arya didn't want to know because it only made her feel worse about what she had done, and everything she had put her through, even though some of it wasn't her fault. It was so unfair.

"No," Arya said softly and Livia watched her, blue-grey eyes wide and mouth gaping.  "I'm sorry for what I did. I'm sorry you had to worry about me. I'm sorry for everything I put you through. You deserve so much better. A better child. Not me."

Livia sighed, looking at Arya slightly tearfully, but Arya chose to stare at the ground instead. Those round blue eyes were so soft that it could have broken her heart into pieces to watch it melt her own mint green eyes. "Arya," she whispered, "You are the best child. I could never have gotten a better child than you. This isn't your fault, at all. If it had been any other child your age... they would not be able to survive anything that you've been through. You're the one who deserves better so I'm sorry that I can't give it to you. But I'm always here, to try and make it easier for you because I can't just fix everything that happened. So don't apologise to me. I'm the one that should be apologising."

Arya's eyes met hers, and tears welled up in them, before rolling down her cheeks, falling ever so elegantly. "I'm so sorry. I don't care because I know it's hurting you to see this. But I won't stop apologising. I'm sorry for leaving..."

Livia pulled her into an unexpected hug, her arms wrapped around her body so tightly, the warmth against Arya's coldness from being outside all night. "Just... just don't go back there again." Arya nodded and she continued; "I'm worried about you, Arya. It's not your fault that I worry, but don't go there again. There are things you don't want to see there, ghosts and memories of your past that haunt you. And you've got me now, so you don't have to ever go back there. You don't ever have to fear for your safety anymore. Nothing will hurt you before it hurts me first. I'm here. I'm here."

The tears had flooded Arya's face, but Livia just hugged her even tighter - so tight and warm that she cried more - because she didn't deserve this kind of love and care.

"And if Avocado ever tries to do anything to you, hurt you again, threaten you or taunt you," her mother was saying, "you tell me, and I'll end it."

Arya looked up. "W-what...? You're," she said slowly, unable to believe what she was hearing; "you're not a murderer... you're not me..."

She shrugged. "Maybe not yet, but if he pushes it too far, I will." She smiled down at her daughter. "Now you know how far I'll go just to protect you and keep you safe. I'd fight through hell just to hold you and tell you that everything's going to be okay."

"What about Crystal?" Arya asked. "Shadow? Roxy? Nia?"

"People always die," Livia explained. "You kill people, but they have their loved ones too. They all suffered - no one is more important than anyone. So yes, it'd hurt them but he's hurting you and he's had his chance to make things right now. If he blows it... I have no choice. I don't want to kill... but if it's for you, then..."

Arya shook her head. "I don't want you to kill. I don't want you to kill for me. This is my own problem so I'll deal with it myself. I'm not letting you get blood on your hands for me. Certainly not for some idiot like Avocado."

Ashy crept into the room. "Arya?!" She asked, then ran to them, hugging them both. "Thank God, you're back." Arya gave her a smile and then she shrieked, "You freaked me out!!!"

She winced at this and quickly muttered, "sorry."

Livia looked at her kindly. "Arya," she whispered, "it'll be alright. I'll make sure of that."

Arya smiled, glad to be back with the two people who should have been her biological parents, and held onto them in a long hug, never wanting to let go.