.:|[15]|:.*.:|[Speak]|:.*.:|[Ririn's Voice]|:.

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Chapter 15

***

I awoke not to long after I fainted for the second time, or maybe it wasn’t so soon. I was still in my bed but this time Sasuke wasn’t by me. It was hard for me to tell if it was daytime or not because of the lack of light.

I looked around again, wishing Kabuto wouldn’t enter the room and knock me out again. It was scary knowing that I was too busy sleeping to notice things going on around me. But it was even scarier knowing that I couldn’t do anything if there was ever any trouble; I couldn’t even run away.

With that thought in mind, I became highly terrified. I became do scared that when the door opened, the same high pitched scream echoed throughout the room. To be honest, I was shocked to hear it, but I was even more shocked when it wasn’t Kabuto who entered the room, but Sasuke, and he looked highly disturbed.

When I realized it was Sasuke, the screaming stopped. Sasuke just stared at me. He looked shocked with a mix of something else. I still wonder what it was.

“Why did you scream?” he walked over to the bed.

I looked at him curiously; “I didn’t scream” all I could think was; what is he talking about?

He simply raised his eyebrow until I realized that the sentence wasn’t in my head; I had said it. I immediately touched my throat. What was happening?!

As I thought at about the situation, only one thing kept resurfacing in my mind; I can speak!! I can finally speak!!!

With that, I remember grinning for the first time. It felt weird, actually smiling like that, in front of Sasuke no less, but either way, I was more than glad that I finally got to use my voice.

It hurts me now, to look back and see just how naïve I was, actually believing that I could have my voice free of charge, and that nothing was going to happen afterward. It hurts me that I didn’t realize that all good things must come to an end, and that nothing in life comes free.

***

For the next few days, I enjoyed my voice with no strings attached, or so I thought. I did feel a dull pain in the back of my neck where I assumed I had been hit. I had tried to look at it but that was physically impossible and I hadn’t seen Sasuke in a while so he couldn’t look at it for me. I definitely didn’t want to ask Kabuto, but I had a feeling he already knew.

After those few days, however, I had been informed that I would start training. At first, I thought training would be about my voice and how to get myself from not getting a sore throat every time I try to sing, but no, it was different, much different.

The training started with basic movements such as running around and working on my stamina which I have to admit, I had absolutely none of. After a few weeks, it became a bit more intense and so did the week after.

At the end of the month, I was exhausted beyond the limits of my limits, and I honestly didn’t think I would ever be able to move again, if I was to ever sit down. They didn’t let me.

I had heard that Sasuke was going through worse, but from what I was seeing; Sasuke was living the good life. He got to eat whatever he wanted while I got what normal people would see as utter junk. When I tried to somewhat complain about it, I was told that I had to eat that or my throat would act up twice as much as it did already. However, at that point, I really count care less. I was basically back to not speaking because when I did, my throat would hurt enough for me to wish I was dead and to make it worse, I would cough up blood. I didn’t like blood.

It only got worse. More months later, and my training was more hectic and my food, even more disgusting. I was contemplating leaving again, but I knew that this time, I wouldn’t step outside without a plan.

***

After much planning and even more training, I decided the day I would leave. It thoroughly surprised me how much you could learn in such a place. I dug around in several books I probably shouldn’t have looked at, but eventually, I found my old village and where it was located. I decided to head there. I was going to find my parents, or should I say the bastards who left me.

Before I left, I decided to do one more thing and that was to fix my voice. I wanted to find out exactly what happened and why it was so hard for my voice to stay. A few days before the scheduled day, I found something odd on the back of my neck. How did I find it? I have no idea.

I was brushing my hair when I noticed something white on my somewhat ten skin; I knew it wasn’t my hair because at the moment it was in a bun, so as I looked closer, I noticed it was some swirly white thing.

I decided to ask Sasuke. After tracking him down, he finally told me that it was probably a curse mark. I had no idea what a curse mark was or what it did, so for the last few days before my departure, he trained me on how to use it and how to control it. Let’s just say, I don’t ever want to use it ever again.

During the days I spent with Sasuke, I noticed something. He was changing. Not just physically, but mentally also. He wasn’t the same anymore. He wasn’t the Sasuke I thought I knew. I could only imagine what his friends would say if they noticed the change. Would they notice?

***

After mastering my curse mark somewhat, I noticed that it was linked to my voice, and that the mark was linked to my emotions. So, basically, whenever I was feeling some extreme emotion, mainly anger, my voice would be off and things would happen, things that should probably be classified as disasters.

Luckily I was quickly able to get my emotions in check and soon I was on my way. At least, I thought I was. I never expected Sasuke to show up in front of me with his usual blank stare.

“Where do you think you’re going?” the question was quite a simple one, but for some reason, I didn’t know how to answer. When I stayed silent, he sighed; “Of course, I should’ve seen it coming”

I was confused; what should he have seen coming? I didn’t quite understand that he was referring to me.

“Why is it that when things get hard for you, all you can think to do is ‘run’?” that was harder question, but weirdly enough, I had an answer for it.

“I run because it is hard! Why should I stay if I know I’m unwanted?” I stare at his emotionless face for a second before looking away.

“How do you know you’re unwanted?” I could feel his stare boring into the depths of my soul. “Did someone tell you that?”

I remember taking a deep breath when I felt I couldn’t breathe. His stare was much too suffocating. “They didn’t have to tell me”

At that time, the emotion on his face changed into a smirk, a sour smirk. “So you assumed?” his words were simple, but his voice showed a bitterness I never wished to taste. I was taken aback by the sharpness of his tone, but I held his gaze until he sighed; “Do what you want, I’m not stopping you. Just let me warn you; if you leave, we will not welcome you back so don’t bother coming”

I could only stare at my shiny red shoes as he walked by me. “I wasn’t planning to” I started on yet another adventure, leaving behind one of the few people that were nice to me. “I’m going to miss you, Sasuke”

I remember hearing his faint sigh and words of goodbye as I head into the past where my worst nightmare took place.