Just randomly felt inspired. Let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own squat.

"NAAAAAAAAAATSUKIIIIIII!" Shizuru Fujino screamed after her falling cobalt haired lover. Hand outstretched and vision reddened by anger and tears, the Fuuka princess fought vainly against her father's loyal knights but their iron grip fastened around her arms and waist. She can only watch as her lover tumbled, binded and unconscious down the cliff into the merciless sea below.

A terrible shriek, almost animal-like, tore for the princess's throat. She poured out her heart into the night sky, hoping the gods would hear and take pity on her ever-faithful Natsuki. The knights around her shuddered and flinched from the inhuman sound, but they stood their ground and kept Shizuru from jumping over the ledge.

As the waves reached up and swallowed Shizuru's heart into its turmoil, the chestnut haired princess slumped uncharacteristically to the ground in defeat. The knights hesitantly loosed their grips on her and a few stood between her and the great cliff. They watched at her energy and life left her, leaving her shoulders slumped and head hanging limply.

She was dead weight as a knight wordlessly volunteered to carry her back to the castle.

Everyday thereafter for many years to come, the Princess of Fuuka would return to the same terrible cliff. Some days she would return in hope that her love had somehow survived and is braving the sea and cliff again to see her. Other days she stood on the edge accepting that the bluenette was no longer in this world and on those days, she spoke her troubles to the air, sea, and earth so that her bluenette's spirit can hear and soothe her woes. But on most days, she battled with herself on whether to follow her heart into the sea. To join with her love once more and be free of this dreadful, restraining life. She would battle and fight for hours but always, in the end, she'd return to the castle in controlled rage.

Anger at her love, her father, her life, but mostly at her lover seethed behind her mask. How can the girl force that promise on her!? True, the bluenette never asked for much, but what she did ask for burnt and irritated the Princess every breath of every day. Yet, Shizuru knew she could never forsake Natsuki's dying plea.

Her last words—"Live. Shizuru, forget about me and LIVE!"—thundered in her mind when she battles with herself on the cliff. Though she could not forget the secret meetings, the exciting adventures, the laughs and the many indignant expressions of her love; Shizuru did struggle to keep breathing, to keep her heart beating and to take in food one bite at a time. It was the best she could do, and sometimes even that seemed too much. How can you ask this of me, Natsuki!?

"Faster! What'd you eat? Slugs for breakfast!?" A wrinkly, short old man with a black patch covering one eye mocked, as he continuously struck with his cane the blindfolded girl. He was so fast his attacks blurred into seemingly one continuous motion and the girl was hard pressed to evade them all. Indeed, although she dodged most of the flurry, she had to grind her teeth to keep from grunting as new bruises decorated older ones.

Somersaulting backwards and lightly jumping onto a low but strong branch, she crouched down on it and yelled, "Shuddup ol'man! Why don't you try blinding your other eye and dodging MY attacks!?" Swinging her thick braid of cobalt hair behind her shoulder, she wiped her sweaty forehead with the back of her hand. Her brows furrowed as she felt the thin scar that ran diagonally across her right temple and hid behind her hair.

"Complaining again, are we?? You lazy, ungrateful brat! If it weren't for my awesome healing skills, your vision wouldn't be the only thing you'd be missin'!" the old man hollered as he skillfully threw well aimed rocks at the girl on the branch.

Sensing the sharp change in the wind and hearing the familiar sound of rock slicing through air, Natsuki propelled from her branch and reached for another one that she knew was there by the way the wind moved around the object.

"Ha! Don't make me laugh ol'man! All you'vebeen doing is sending me to Yohko everyday with fresh new injuries to show her!" Catching a projectile aimed at her face and twisting around to dodge another one, Natsuki said, "I get the feeling that you saved me only to try and find new ways to kill me!"

Feigning hurt, the old man responded, "Why I've been treating you like my daughter and trying to teach you my life's skills," dropping his façade he laughed and said, "so that even a blind-y like you can have a fighting chance in this world!"

"Tch, this blind-y will KICK YOUR WRINKLY ASS!" Following the source of the projectiles, Natsuki propelled herself from the branch in hopes of grappling and disarming her teacher.

Drawing back just enough so that Natsuki's outreached hands couldn't reach him, he smirked and crouched under her airborne body.

"Oh shit." Natsuki breathed right before her teacher struck her squarely in the stomach and threw her across the forest clearing. Skidding to a halt at the base of the same tree she propelled herself from, the bluenette struggled to breathe again.

"Tsk tsk tsk. My ass is only wrinkly because you're taking so long to kick it." The old man shook his head in mock disappointment as he stood before the downed Natsuki.

"Psh, you were probably born wrinkly. Don't blame me." Gathering her limbs under her as if to get up, Natsuki waited for an opening.

Frowning her teacher, opened his mouth to retort.

Now. Natsuki braced herself on her hands and swept her legs under the old man, successfully knocking him off his feet. Or so she thought.

Even airborne, her teacher grounded himself with his cane and swung his feet up in a back flip. His toes struck Natsuki's chin and knocked her back against the tree. Huffing in a disappointment and massaging the new bruises on her arms, she leaned tiredly against the tree.

"Breaking already?? Young ones these days don't have an ounce of energy in them. When I wa—"

"Oh cap it, ol' man. The suns already setting. I have to get to Yohko before she closes her store."

Glancing west, the old man blinked. He didn't even notice the time. Usually he'd keep track of that, but this exercise today seem to have taken all his attention. Smiling inwardly in approval, he hummed as he followed Natsuki out of the clearing and into the small village alongside the forest.

Quirking a cobalt eyebrow at the unusual act, Natsuki asked, "What are you so happy about?"

"Ah, what is it now, brat? 223 to…nothing?" Laughing loudly at the bluenette's angry, flushed face, the old man bounded away.

"Damn you." Natsuki growled and yelled after him, "YOU KNOW THE FIRST 100 DON'T COUNT! I WAS LEARNING! HEY COME BACK HERE!!!!" Too late. Natsuki could hear the rustling of the forest draw further and further away from her. He always did this in the beginning—leave her behind in the middle of the forest. At first she tripped and tumbled in the foliage until she gave up and wallowed in self-pity. Then he would always come back and push her with mocking words and taunts until her anger and pride took over and drove self-pity away. At that point, the old man would teach her how to "see" again. This time through listening, smelling, tasting, and feeling.

Now Natsuki had no trouble navigating through the forest. She knew which path the old man had taken through feeling the well worn path under her feet, hearing the wind touch the bent foliage, smelling the familiar scent of her teacher, and tasting the chicken and cabbage broth, the smoked ham, and the baked bread that the villagers were cooking up tonight. Smiling at the thought of going home, Natsuki raced through the forest, hardly slowing as she dodged low hanging branches and launched across small streams and rocks.

"Hey, Yohko." Natsuki greeted the village healer with easy familiarity. The tall, slim woman with short curly brown hair smiled sadly at her regular who took her place on the cool clay floor near the fireplace.

"You two are at it again, Natsuki? I thought I told you to take a break." Grabbing a variety ointments and salves, she sat down next to her patient and began her meticulous task of soothing her bruised arms.

"Tell that to the ol' man. I can't get him to leave me alone." Natsuki grumbled as she sat compliantly, gritting her teeth against the pain.

Sighing, Yohko motioned for Natsuki to take off her worn roughly spun cotton shirt. As she sympathetically watched the bluenette reveal her beaten self, she said, "How has your head been?"

"Better," Natsuki started before involuntarily flinching at a particularly painful bruise."Now I can go days without getting those random headaches."

Nodding in approval, Yohko got up to retrieve some bandages. "It looks like you almost broke another rib. But just in case, I need to bound your ribs for a while. Make sure you don't move around too much for now. If Akio suggests otherwise again, have him come talk to me."

Natsuki smirked at the idea. If there was one person the ol' man would bend to, it was Yohko. After all, even Natsuki was scared of Yohko sometimes, although hell would freeze over before she'd admit that to anyone. Good thing the healer was pleasant most of the time…until someone messed with her medical supplies or orders, that is. The wonderful healer would bring down the heavens to get back at you.

"Natsuki, and the flashbacks? Are you still getting them?"

"Um, most of the time they come along with the headaches if they come at all." Natsuki paused to scratch a spot on her cheek.

"Stop moving." Yohko curtly ordered as she continued wrapping the bandage around the bluenette's body.

Freezing with a finger against her cheek, Natsuki stiffly waited for Yohko to finish with her ministrations. As the sun settled behind the horizon, the bluenette had the sudden rebellious urge to wiggle and it took most of her will power not to stay still.

"Ok. Your bruises should heal fairly quickly, but your ribs need some time. Come back tomorrow and I'll change your bandage again." Yohko said as she stood up to replace all her materials back in the cabinets.

Natsuki took the chance to put her shirt back on, careful not to disturb her ribs.

Turning around, Yohko faced her patient once again. "So you still don't remember anything of your past?"

Shaking her bluenette head, Natsuki answered, "Not at all. I can't even remember most of my flashbacks. Sometimes I see the same one over and over again. Those I remember, but mostly I just forget them."

"You bled a lot back then," Yohko nodded and looked pointedly at Natsuki scarred temple, "but it's been 4 years, the blood inside your head must be starting to dissipate already. Give it time."

"And my eyes?" Natsuki asked hopefully.

Yohko shook her head and regrettably said, "I don't know. The mind is a strange place. Even I don't comprehend it fully. It maybe that a blood clot or lack of air for a prolong period of time has interfered with the sight area of the mind and the damage is permanent. Or you may miraculously regain your sight and memory one day. I really don't know."

Slouching under the familiar words, the brunette thanked the healer for her help and walked out of the clay packed building. Even with her handicap, Natsuki walked unerringly toward her small clay house where she shared residence with Akio. The villagers often forgot that the bluenette was blind because she often "saw" and heard more acutely than anyone else in the village. Natsuki had Akio to thank for that, but still…being able to actually see the images that sometimes flash through her head would be nice. She knew what colors were and she knew what cities and forests looked like. She's seen them in her head. That much she knew she has experienced.

She also remembered…a woman. A woman with eyes of red wine. But she couldn't remember anything else about the girl. Her flashbacks were blurry and only the crimson eyes shown through clearly and in her heart she knew the eyes belonged to a woman.

Maybe it was the same woman who's voice has often plagued her in her dreams. The one that screamed "Natsuki" as the floor crumbled from under her and leave her to fall into a never ending abyss. It was a nightmare that repeated and repeated itself throughout the night until she'd wake up sweating and fighting for air. But that was a long time ago, when she was first rescued from the sea. The dream has been quiet for quite some time now. And for some reason, that REALLY bothered her. She was losing her dreams, her flashback, and her headaches—her only connections to her past.

"Hey brat." The old man, Akio, greeted from the table, dunking bread in his chicken soup. "What's with the face? I beat you up too badly?"

Ignoring him, Natsuki plopped down across from Akio and grabbed her share of dinner. "Lemme alone for the next few days."

Akio frowned. He must have really hurt Natsuki for her to acquiesce to Yohko's orders. True, Akio usually ignored Yohko's instructions first but that was because the old man knew that the bluenette was eager to train. She had a warrior's spirit, that girl, and always strived to be stronger.

In the past, Natsuki would say something like, 'So…Yohko said to rest.' The key words being 'Yohko said' and Akio knew it wasn't something that Natsuki totally agreed with. Despite all the insults he threw at her, Akio was very proud of his pupil's spirit and he often indulged them because in a real fight, you can't ask your opponent to give you a break. They'd laugh in your face after they stomped all over it!

"Akio." Startled out of his thoughts, the old man looked at his pupil with her black blindfold over her flowing cobalt hair.

"What's bothering you, girl?" Akio said gruffly, expecting an honest answer.

After a moment of silence, Natsuki said, "I don't know… Yohko said I might never regain my sight again."

Quirking a bushy eyebrow at the old news, Akio said, "You'll live, Natsuki. I'd place my life's saving and my life on you that you "see" better than anyone I know and most people I don't know. Stop fretting over spilled wine. Accept the fact, Natsuki. It's time."

Brow rising in genuine surprise, Natsuki blushed under the first compliment she has ever received from her teacher. At least, she thinks it's a compliment. Tear a chunk of bread with her teeth and downing the bowl of soup, Natsuki went through the motions of eating but her thoughts were elsewhere.

After a while, Natsuki gathered her courage and spoke her heart's desire, "Akio, my flashbacks are coming slower and far between. I'm losing touch with my past!"

Ah. Akio has seen this coming, just not so soon. His curious pupil has finally found the guts to confront her past. Well and so. He won't let her go that easily.

When her teacher didn't respond, Natsuki said more forcefully, "I don't want to forget everything. I want to find what I've lost, Akio! Before…before it's too late and even my scraps of annoying flashbacks leave me."

Leaning back in his seat, Akio started intently at his pupil, calculating her resolve and strength. Finally reaching a conclusion, he said, "Brat, who do you think I am? I don't train just any wondering damsel who crosses my path. Don't matter how much they'rebleeding."

Seeing Natsuki's puzzled expression, Akio leaned forward and clarified, "You're. Mine."

"WHAT!? THE HELL YOU'VE BEEN SMOKING, OL' MAN!?" Natsuki jumped out of her seat in rage and utter bewilderment.

"That is…" Akio continued as if nothing happened, "unless you manage to defeat me. Otherwise you're staying here till I happily die of old age."

Blood pumping and searing in anger, Natsuki growled out through clenched teeth, "I don't have time to play your games, ol' man."

Akio innocently said, "Don't you understand, brat? OVER MY DEAD BODY!"

Leave your opinion! I really wanna know if I should continue with this!