Chapter 16 -The Girl who Needed me

I had a sister. Her name was ...The heavy oak door creaked open, revealing a small girl with eyes that seemed too large for her face. She clutched a worn teddy bear, her expression a mix of fear and confusion. My father stood behind her, his face unreadable, with the top hat on his head."Come here and meet your sister." He said in his firm voice.I hesitated, looking up from my toys scattered on the floor. My mother stood in the corner, her lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes cold and unforgiving. I felt the tension in the room, a tension I didn't understand at the time."Come," my father repeated.I slowly approached, my eyes locked on the girl who seemed so out of place in our home. I stopped a few feet away, unsure of what to do or say. She looked at me with wide, hopeful eyes."This is your sister," my father said. "She'll be living with us from now on.""Hi," I said softly. My smile was stiff."Hi," she whispered, her grip tightening on her teddy bear.My father gave a curt nod, satisfied with the introduction. He turned to my mother, his voice lowering to a level I couldn't hear. My mother's face remained livid but she did not say anything."Come," she said, her voice icy. "I'll show you to your room."The girl looked back at me as she followed my mother down the hallway. I watched as she disappeared around the corner, her small figure swallowed by the shadows of our home..A few weeks had passed since Yomi's arrival, and the house felt colder. My mother rarely acknowledged her presence unless it was to scold her. The servants, following my mother's lead, treated her with cold indifference.One night, I heard a soft sniffle coming from the kitchen. I tiptoed down the hallway, careful not to wake anyone. There, under the dim light of the kitchen, I found her sitting on the floor, hugging her knees."What are you doing here?" I whispered, creeping closer.She looked up, quickly wiping her tears. "Why are you here?""I heard you crying," I said, sitting down beside her. "Are you okay?"She shook her head, fresh tears spilling down her cheeks. "I'm hungry and I can't reach any of the food."They forgot to feed her again. "Wait here," I said, getting up to rummage through the fridge. I found some bread and cheese and quickly made a sandwich. "Here."She took the sandwich with trembling hands. "Thank you.""You're my sister," I said simply. "We have to take care of each other.".That summer I found her in her room, staring out the window longingly."Do you want to go out?" I asked, stepping into her room.She turned to me, her eyes wide with surprise. "Really? But what if Mother finds out?""She won't," I assured her. "She's out for the day. Come on, let's go."I took her hand, and we sneaked out of the house, I had no money so I could only take her down the winding path to the little creek behind our house..The time came for me to leave for boarding school, I knew I had to go, but the thought of leaving her behind worried me to no end.She looked up, tears brimming in her eyes. "Do you have to go?"I nodded, my heart heavy. I knew that without me here, she would be alone in this big house. "I have to. But I'll be back during the holidays. And I'll write to you every week."She hugged me tightly, her small body trembling. "Promise?""Promise," I said, my voice breaking.The day I left, she stood at the gate, waving goodbye. I waved back, trying to hide my own tears.But after I left I never came back.She had no way of knowing, but I lost my life.No one told her, so she waited for me.For years, she waited until I came back.But by then, it was too late.The girl who murdered her adoptive parents; the news made headlines..Tsukiyomi hummed as she floated through nothing, her mind was blank. She didn't know who she was or where she was, she just knew she was at peace where she was."Yomi."That was until a voice reached her."Shi!" She squealed happily floating over to him.He stood as she remembered him, white hair and red eyes with the same calm look on his face."Shi, where have you been? I've been waiting.""Yomi""What are you doing here? You came back for me right?""Yomi, I think this is the last time."Yomi froze, her eyes filling with fear, "Shi?"He smiled at her, but his eyes remained sad. "This is the last time Yomi, you should come back to my body, or your soul will dissipate.""Ok."He took her hand and led her through the hazy space silently."Where are we going Shi?" She asked as if she had forgotten what he said."You're going back.""But are you coming with me?""No."She stopped walking. He pulled her arm urging her to keep walking, "come on Yomi, don't do this.""I don't want to go without you Shi." She whispered."You're not going without me, I'm still here.""Liar. You're going away again."He tried to coax her, "come on Yomi, you have your whole life to live. This is what you wanted right? You're free to fly, you can sing, you cam move, you can do whatever you want, nothing can stop you anymore. You can live your dreams finally.""But if you're not there, then I don't want to live." Her voice trembled.Shi couldn't hold up his smile anymore.He had loved her, and he tried, but in the end, he had to give a soul for a soul."Come on." He said dragging her."No!" She shook him off. "I don't want to go! I want to stay with you!""Stop being so spoilt," He finally snapped. "You have people waiting for you to wake up! You can't be selfish! You can't just do whatever you want anymore Yomi, that's the price of having people who love you!"The only reason he came back was for her, or else his soul would have moved on.Tears welled up in her eyes falling down her cheeks."Shi... I'll miss you." Her broken voice broke his heart. He had been by her side after the incident even through his death. He was her only family, the only one she trusted on earth.Shi smiled, "I will miss you too Yomi."Even if his soul would get destroyed, she would life the rest of her life freely, that was a fair price to pay.He held her hand again, this time she didn't fight back, and they walked through the haze for what felt like hours. But then they came to a blinding ball of light. Shi stopped and looked back at Yomi."This is it." He said, his hand tightening around hers as if he didn't want to let go. "Don't forget to eat vegetables, don't just eat meat.""En.""Don't read smut all the time, you're still growing, it's not good for you.""En.""Don't forget me.""... I won't.""I love you, Leah.""I love you too, Shiro."He watched her step into the light, and only then did he let his tears fall as his soul disintegrated..Kakuzu sat by Yomi's bedside, the room was dimly lit, the only sound the steady beeping of the medical monitors that kept track of her vitals. He had been sitting there for hours, watching her, willing her to wake up. His mind raced with thoughts, with guilt, with anger-at himself, at Orochimaru, at the circumstances that led them here.Suddenly, he saw it-a faint twitch of her fingers. His heart skipped a beat. He leaned in closer, his eyes widening as he watched her hand move ever so slightly. "Yomi?" he called out, his voice rough with emotion. "Yomi, can you hear me?"Her eyelids fluttered, and she let out a soft groan. "Kakuzu?" she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper, but it was there. She was there.Relief washed over him. He reached out, gently taking her hand in his. "I'm here, Yomi. I'm right here."Tears welled up in her eyes, and she tried to sit up, but her body was too weak. Kakuzu gently pushed her back down, his touch uncharacteristically tender. "Don't try to move too much. You need to rest.""But I... what happened?" she asked, her voice breaking.Kakuzu took a deep breath, trying to steady his own emotions. "You signed a summoning contract, and something went wrong. You've been unconscious for days. We didn't know if you were going to wake up."She nodded weakly, her fingers still trembling. "I was... somewhere else. I saw Shi... He was there."She mentioned him again. He wanted to ask who he was."Who is Shi?""Shi.. He's my brother.."She told him everything. From her birth to her death to now.He listened.Eventually, she closed her eyes again, her body relaxing as sleep began to take her. Kakuzu sat back, his own exhaustion catching up to him. But he didn't move from her side. He would stay there, watching over her, protecting her. Because she was his responsibility, and he would never let anything happen to her again.A figure landed on the window ledge, looking in."She's awake?""Yes, you can leave now." Kakuzu's voice was cold."That's good to hear. I want to see her so I'll wait till she's awake again." The man said with a grin.Kakuzu glared at him. The man's long, spikey black hair hung down to his waist and his black eyes with the iconic Uchiha Sharingan. "I'm sure she'd be interested in what I have to say."The Sage of Six Paths had a request."Break the cycle of hate and violence."