An Empty Shell

Chapter 28: Searching

Disclaimer: Art photo not mine

Hayami... Hayami...
A soft and muffled voice was calling out for her. It sounded so distant but she knew that her name was being called. She groaned and flinched a little in respond to that call. Then she slowly opened her eyes. Still half-lidded, she surveyed her surroundings.
"Where...am I?" She asked herself in a stifled voice. She felt debilitated, not even able to lift a finger. It felt like her body was wrapped around in cold chains and everything was in pitch black. She couldn't see a thing except herself.
Hayami...
Once again, she heard a faint voice.
"Who's calling me? Who are you..?" She answered but she could hardly let out a sound.
"What is happening to me?..Where am I? ..Am I only dreaming?...(grunts) it's painful... m-my whole body... is aching... wh-why?...This is just a dream right? Please.. wake up... wake up quickly!" Fear was crawling fast in her veins not knowing anything of what's happening. Her agonal breathing surfaced the atmosphere as panic started to engulf her. Tears of helplessness streamed down to her cheeks as she shut her eyes close, hoping she would wake up from this darkest nightmare by the time she opened up her eyes. She couldn't speak, she couldn't move, she's completely paralyzed.

After awhile, she suddenly felt a touch so warm and comforting placed on her forehead. She slowly opened her eyes, there she was flabbergasted to see a beautiful maiden smiling down at her. She was wearing a white yukata with a long trail that sweeps the ground and wide sleeves with their length falling down to her feet. Her obi was red and snugged around her waist. There were prints of red Sakura flowers on the lengths of her trail and ends of her sleeves. She has a silky, long grayish-white hair that flows down to the side of her face and the rest was tied back to a low and loose ponytail. She's got mesmerizing, big, earthly golden-brown eyes, just like her eye-color but a little bit lighter and they were draped with thick, grayish-white lashes. Her lips were so small and her entire facial feature looked so delicate and innocent that anyone could be drawn from her fascinating beauty.
Hayami realized that it was the maiden's summery palm placed on her forehead. And she couldn't help but wonder why, for some reason, she's so familiar to her, albeit, she's not ever seen her before.
"Do I... know you?" Hayami expressed these words with a very weak voice, but finally being able to make a sound.
The lady in front of her smiled with those loving eyes.
"I know you don't realize me, but it has been awhile my child.." She replied in a very soothing and calm voice while caressing Hayami's face.
"And I am very sorry, I let these happened to you." She continued and held Hayami gently in her arms like a mother who longed for her child.
Hayami closed her eyes in that warm embrace. For the first time, she felt at peace and safe. Although she never understood why she felt that way with her, she really doesn't care. All that matters to her right at that moment was, she's not alone anymore and she knew she's protected. It didn't take long until she realized all those feelings of suffering, pain, fear and anxiety were suddenly taken away. The cold and dark feelings were replaced by something warm and peaceful. She can now speak and move freely. She looked up to the that person holding her with a questioning look on her face. But the lady just gave her a reassuring smile and carefully lifted her up
on her feet.
"Now, I understand you're still confuse about everything, but believe me when I say it will all be right..." the lady gave her encouragement as if she knew what would happen next. This gave Hayami something to ruminate about. She was surprised by that statement and at the same time felt like she knew why, because she's used to hear these words from someone before. Her eyes gaped and welled up as something stroke her deepest thoughts to finally uncover something.
"Y-you... you're Obachan right? Obachan Fushimi?.." Tears kept streaming down her cheeks as she mention her name while she slowly approached her.
The maiden was surprised at first, not expecting she would recognize her. Then she soften her gaze with a smile as her response to her question.
"Obachan!.." Hayami dug herself once again in her arms from that embrace she longed for a long time.
"My child, how did you know it was me?" The maiden, now Hayami's Obachan, needed to ask for she herself did not expect her to remember since she was also erased in her memories from Kurama's Mugenka no Kafun.
Hayami eventually calmed down and slowly faced her up. She quickly wiped away her tears to compose herself.
"I...I don't really remember you, but I feel like I do..." She started to open up something that made Lady Fushimi's curiosity grew.
"I read about you, everything about you, and about me and the people around me in a journal that I wrote and always kept hidden..." Then there it was, how she gathered all the missing pieces of her memory.