"Nee-san! Nee-san! Nee-san!" Hanabi cried.
I slowly opened my eyes as it were blinded by light.
I can see the light.
"A-Am I...dead?" I asked my sister.
"Neee-saaaann!!!" Hanabi hugged me. "Don't leave me!" she cried more.
I wrapped my arms around my sister feeling her warmth.
"I-I'm not d-dead?" I whispered to myself.
Lifting my hands in the air. I saw the different lengths of slashes I did to my arms and wrists. Blood already dry.
My eyes went wide. This can't be!
I touched my cheek. I can still feel my warm skin.
No way!
I slapped my cheeks. I can still feel pain.—Why can I still feel pain? No!
"W-Why am I still alive?" I talked to myself.
"Nee-san! What are you saying! W-Why did you try committing suicide?" Hanabi cried while she shook me. Her face occupied with tears.
It broke my heart. Why does seeing my sister breaks my heart so much?
"I'm taking you to the hospital right now! D-Don't worry, everything will be okay now!" Just as Hanabi was able to fully stand up, I caught her hand.
"Wait!" I tried to sit. "D-Don't take me to the hospital, Hanabi."
"B-Blood!!! So much blood!" Hanabi panicked. I looked down to where I laid and my eyes can't believe what it saw.
"Nee-san!!! Please, let's go to the hospital!" She started bringing me up through my shoulder.
"P-Please! Hanabi, don't!" I pleaded. "Just let me be, I-I can take care it by myself."
"B-But—"
"I don't want anyone to know about this. My f-friends would surely get worried and f-father would get m-mad. So please, Hanabi."
"Nee-san..." She stared at me with a very worried look.
"Hanabi, listen to me. What you saw right now will only be a secret between the two of us. D-Don't worry, I think I'm far away from dying." I smiled at my crying sister.
Why am I still alive? Why can't I just die!
"Why are you doing this?" She asked while she was about to cry again.
"I-I'd rather not tell you right now, Hanabi." I smiled again as I wiped her tears.
"Why..." she asked again but I refused to reply.
I stood up slowly to search for my phone. I walked around the room, my eyes wandering at my disarranged room.
"Nee-san, what are you looking for?" my sister asked.
"Have you seen my p-phone, Hanabi?" I searched every corner of my room.
"N-No. You know, I was calling you since last night and you're not answering." my sister stood near me.
"L-Last night? Haven't heard my phone rang." I said without looking at her while I continued searching.
"Really?" she asked with a doubt.
"Yeah." I said surely.
I continued searching in my room—and even at the living room and kitchen. I opened all the drawers, turned my blanket upside down...
"I'll help you find it later, Nee-san. We have to clean your wounds first." Hanabi sat at the couch with a clean cloth and basin filled with water. She instructed me to sit beside her.
As I stood, I remembered that Kiba-kun also told me about not answering my phone last night.
I walked over the couch and asked her, "Hanabi, m-maybe I have left it at home?"
"Nope. I have searched around your room last night while calling you." my sister confirmed.
"W-What if it isn't here?" I sat beside her. My sister reached for my right arm and began cleaning it.
"If it wasn't here, then where could it be?" she asked.
I began to get more worried. Breathe in, breathe out. Think...
Think...
"T-The school—" I stared at my sister. "Right! The school!"
"Probably—"
"We have to get there—aaaah! Ouch!" I cringed when a felt a shot of pain on my open wound.
"S-Sorry! Don't move too much, you know I'm cleaning your wounds." my sister said strictly.
I chuckled at my very caring sister.
"We'll get there after I treated you." she said.
I nodded.
She carefully cleaned my poor blood-stained arms and hands. It was too much blood but I still survived. I am still alive. W-What the hell?"
Finally, my sister wrapped my wrists with bandage. "You should never repeat this again, Nee-san. I'll make sure of it."
"H-Hai... Thank you, Hanabi. Uhmm..can we go search for my phone now? I-It wasn't only my phone that is missing. My phone is in my pouch so it literally means that m-my pouch is missing too. And there are some important things in it." I pleaded.
"Seriously?" she asked.
"Y-Yeah." Trying to convince my little sister.
"Let's go then—wait, would you mind changing your clothes first? People might think you've murdered somebody." she pointed at my shirt.
"Huh?" I looked down my shirt and I gasped. The sides of my shirt were fully soaked with dried blood. "R-Right, I'll go change right now!" I went back to my room and looked for a new set of shirt and jacket.
—At school—
She scratched her head. "Nee-san, where did you exactly lost it? Do you still remember?" Hanabi asked while we entered the school campus.
"Ano.. I-I think I left it on our table at the gym during the event." I explained.
"Okay, let's go!" Hanabi said.
While we were on our way to the gymnasium, my eyes caught a familiar person behind the bush. I stopped and went closer to the man who's back was facing me. He seems to be very busy with something.
"Nee-san? Where are you going? I thought we're heading to the gymnasium?" Hanabi halted from walking as well.
"S-Shino-kun?" I softly called. The man turned to face me.
"Shino-kun!" I smiled.
"Yeah." he said.
"W-What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Hinata nee-san!", my sister called at me from afar. "I'll go ahead to the gym!", she waved her hand as she continued to make her way to the gym.
"O-Okay!" I told her.
"How have you been?" Shino asked.
"I-I'm fine." I smiled.
"You don't have to pretend like it's nothing when it really does." Shino said while he was searching for something in the bushes.
"..." I couldn't answer back because what he had just said was true. Feels like I was slapped through the wall with his words.
"Why are you here?" He asked.
"I-I'm looking for my pouch, must've left it here somewhere that night." Good thing Shino changed our topic. "H-How about you, w-what are you doing here?"
He pulled a bug out of the bush, "Research." He placed the insect into a glass jar.
"Y-You're back to work already?" I held the jar and examined the insect caught by my friend.
"Your mind must have been completely lost this past few days, your co-workers are probably missing you at this point of time." Shino placed another bug into a clean jar.
"Missing me?" I told Shino.
But why?
I think deeper for a possible reason.
"It's tuesday." He broke the short silence.
"T-Tuesday??!" I gasped.
"You should go find your pouch now or you'll miss another day at work." He said.
"Oh no! T-Then my sister just skipped school!" I placed both of my hands at my cheeks.
"Classes don't start until 10 am. It's only 7:35." Shino looked at his watch.
"I-It's still this e-early?" I asked just to make sure of the time.
"Yeah. And sorry I wasn't able to join you and Kiba last night." he told.
"N-No it's f-fine, S-Shino-kun." I explained.
He stopped searching at the bush, "Hinata, Kiba and I will always be here for you—no matter what."
"T-Thanks, Shino-kun . I'm so h-happy to know that." I smiled at him. "Ano...I better get going then."
"Right."
"See you around!" I waved my hand as I left while he gave me a nod as a reply.
Thank you, Shino-kun.
I made my way to the gymnasium only to find my sister nowhere. Where could she be? I went out while thinking where to go next.
I stood outside the gymnasium entrance while I think.
Hmmmm...
Maybe I should go find my pouch myself then. My sister is looking for it too anyway. If we split up, searching would be faster.
I walked towards the trees where I hid that night. I looked at every corner but it was nowhere to be found.
Looking around, the place reminded me so much of that night. Me...and Sasuke...I'm sure he's super mad at me from now on.
"Nee-saaaaaan!" Hanabi called at me as she came to me running. She stopped infront of me while catching her breath. "I...I have spoken to the school staff...", she panted. "They said they haven't seen it."
"Oh no...t-that can't be!" I went back searching further.
My sister followed me, "But they said they haven't seen it—"
"And you believed them?" I looked at my sister.
"W-Where are you going, Nee-san?" Hanabi continued following behind me.
"I-It should just be here somewhere." I said while my eyes were busy looking for my pouch.
"I thought you left it at the gymnasium? Why are you looking for it here? Did it grow some feet and run away here?" Hanabi chuckled.
"W-Well, who knows where it might have been?" I told her.
"Oh! Nee-san!" she shouted.
I was surprised, "W-What is it, Hanabi?"
"Why don't we just call your phone! God! Why haven't we thought of that earlier!" Hanabi let out an agonizing cry. "Oh my God!"
I chuckled, "Y-You're right! Uhmm.. but you said nobody was answering when you called my phone, right?"
"Well, let's hope somebody picks up the call." Hanabi brought out her phone and called my number.
"H-Hey! It's ringing, Nee-san!" she said excitedly.
"R-Really?!" I felt a spark of hope. Patiently, we waited for the call to be answered at the other line.
After awhile, Hanabi put down her phone so I asked her, "How was it?"
"Nobody's answering." She dialed it again.
I felt sad. Where did I drop it? Where did I drop it! I tried to recall deeply where I lost it.
Is it really possible to know where you've lost something without your consent?
Oh my God! What if somebody found it and read my diaries in my phone? And got all my savings at my bank account? Or even stole my identity?
What if that person who got my pouch hated me and used all my things against me? What if he/she publishes my diary for everyone to read?!
This can't beeeee!!!!
"Nobody's really answering, Nee-san." Hanabi sighed. "Why don't this 'whoever-person-is' not answering—o-o-oooh!!! I-It's calling back!" she looked at her phone surprisingly.
"A-Answer it! Answer it!" I peeped into my sister's phone.
"Yeah! I'm just about to!" Hanabi eyed on me. She cleared her throat before she pressed the green button.
"Hey! You bastard! Bring back my Nee-san's phone! And her pouch! She's super worried you know! Who are you?! If you don't return it I'll have the police find you!" My sister spoke without a pause.
"H-Hanabi! C-Calm down!" I can't believe my little sister can speak this way.
"W-What?" her eyes widened.
"What was it, Hanabi?"
She turned to me, "He said he's at your apartment right now."
"A-Apartment?! How did he know where I live? Are you s-serious?" I asked my sister.
"Like my ears would mishear it." She said sarcastically. "Here speak to him." She handed me her phone.
I placed the phone over my right ear. "H-Hello?"
"Go home now I got your phone." the man over the phone said.
"W-Who are you?" his voice isn't really familiar to my ear.
"Go home now." he demanded.
"D-Do you also got my pouch?" I asked.
"..." he dropped the call.
W-What the hell?
"Hanabi, l-let's go back to the apartment." I gave the phone back to my sister.
"So who was it who got your things?" she asked.
"I-I don't know. We'll find out when we get back there." I felt a bit insulted. Why did he hanged up on me?
"Are you sure, Nee-san? What if that person is dangerous...like a thief? O-Or a murderer!"
"I don't t-think so. Hehe." I told her.
We went back to the car and headed back to my apartment. "Hanabi, can I send a message to my phone?" I requested.
"Sure." she gave me her phone.
"Thanks."
'We're coming back there so please wait for us.' I pressed the send button. I let out a deep sigh of relief while I returned the phone to my sister.
"See? So we just wasted our time at school!" My sister reprimanded me. "If we just stayed there you're now probably reuniting with your lost belongings."
"S-Sorry." I looked down.
Feelings of frustration clouded my mind as we traveled back to my place. What if he had inspected my phone and had seen my diary? Aaaaaaah!!!!! I bit my lip.
"N-Nee-san, are you alright? You're face is kind of red." Hanabi stared at me.
"Huh? N-Nothing!" I cupped my face with both of my palms.
After some minutes or more like an hour, we had finally arrived.
We saw a man standing infront of my door. He was leaning at the rail with his back facing us and he was wearing a black cap making us hardly recognize who it was.
"Y-You think he's a bad guy?" I whispered to my sister as we come near to my door.
"He's returning your pouch and your most beloved phone. Yes, he's a bad guy." Hanabi snorted.
I chuckled not because it was funny but because I was embarrassed.
We walked further and still the man was still staring at the floor.
Hanabi softly poked her elbow to my side and whispered, "Nee-san, look! The bad guy..he looks like he's a cutie!"
I looked at her sharply. And since when did my sister started talking like this?
She chuckled, "Just kidding! I meant your light and shining armor. Could he be your missing prince charming?" She chuckled even more.
"H-Hanabi, stop! He could probably h-hear you." I felt more embarrassed.
We walked a little more until we stopped infront of him. His head was still bowed down. I looked on his hand and saw my pouch.
"A-Ano..w-we're here. I'm the owner of that pouch. I-I'm Hyuuga Hinata. Thank you so much for r-returning it." I said.
We received no response from the man. He was just standing—not moving nor speaking.
"U-Uhm Nee-san, I think he's sleeping. Look, he's eyes are shut." She pointed at his face.
I tilted my head a little to peek under his cap to see his face.
—- —- —- —- —- —- —- —- —-
Hello! Another update! Surprised? Lol. :)
I have something to tell, I told on the last chapter that I would be dividing chapter 18 into three but it seems that I never really expected it to be reallllyyy long. SO.. I'm dividing it now into four chapters. Yey! Expect chapters 20 and 21 soon! :)
Do you want to get to know me more? Here's my Instagram—-> @straykatprism ^__^
Alright! I'm going to sleep now. It's 1:15 am over here. My eye bags are already rejoicing.. *cries on the floor* Good night and thanks for reading!