The Entire Sky | Madara Uchiha

46

Sen returned to her house with more unanswered questions, so she sat at the table and stared at the wall. Her palms were red from the tension she had kept bottled up during the argument. Her skin was sore from where the nails had bit into the flesh, leaving little half moon indentions filled with blood.

After shuffling into her bedroom, she pulled her blinds closed and lay in her bed, unaware of the time passing. Her stomach growls went ignored as the sight of Mina's glassy stare replayed in her mind. She couldn't sleep without dreaming of Mina, and her waking thoughts were plagued by doubts. She lay awake, staring blankly at the ceiling while tears leaked from her eyes.

Sora had been knocking on her window for a minute before she realized he was there. She pulled herself from her reverie slowly, her body aching from however long she had been immobile. She had no idea how long she had been in bed. Time ran together whenever it was all spent crying or sleeping.

She let him in without a word and then they sat at the kitchen table together. He looked around the dark house and sadly sighed before saying, "I came by to check on you."

She thanked him.

Her brother's gentle stare dug into her as he told her, "I'm worried about you, Sen."

"I'm okay," she lied. The last thing she needed was her brother worrying about her. She didn't want to cause Sora any extra heartache.

The brown haired man's head cocked and he pursed his lips as he spoke, "Sen... Lying to me doesn't make this any easier for you. You can talk to me, you know."

"I know," she replied. "When I have something to say, I'll let you know. But right now, I just need to be alone."

Sora's face was cast down at the table and Sen noticed tears brimming in his pretty white eyes. Her heart began pounding in worry and she asked Sora what was wrong with him. 

The man looked up to her and pleaded, "You may not need me, but I need you. I need you to keep me grounded, Sen. You're my best friend. I can't..." he paused and let his shoulders fall. "I can't lose you too. Especially not while you're still breathing."

His words sliced into her. Her mouth was parted as if she wanted to speak; however, there was little she could think to say.

Sora then told her that she had been locked away in her house for days. He said that Hashirama and Mito had checked on her, and that even Madara had come by to ask Sora how she was a few times. She was shocked to hear she had been isolated for that long, but in the end it didn't really surprise her. Sora draped his hand over hers and said that both him and Madara wanted to see her smile again.

Tears sprung to her eyes as she quietly asked, "How can I be happy again, Sora? Live in denial?"

"Understanding that this isn't your fault is the first step to being happy again."

"Yeah," she murmured mindlessly.

"Sen..."

The girl's mind drifted far away to the lilac trees where she and Mina had spent that lovely, carefree day. A tear slipped down Sen's cheek quietly as she told Sora, "I guess it's time we talk." 

He nodded thankfully and she took his hand before transporting them to the grove of lilacs. The scene was sparse, as the pale yellow flowers had all fallen away, leaving only the bare branches on display. Sora looked around, unsure of why his sister had brought him to a grove of barren trees. 

All she could think about was the elder Hyuga girl as she walked through the rows silently. She remembered how happy Mina had looked as they ran through the forest. Her chestnut hair had been blowing wildly in her perfect face as she wore a genuine smile.