***
A series of whooshes cut through the air. A snow rabbit, unable to turn in time, slammed headfirst into an ice spike that had materialized before it and fainted.
Touye landed beside the rabbit, picked it up, and gave it a quick look. Seeing it was unharmed, she shrugged and started walking back.
*I've got Haku's gift ready. I'll just give it to her when she comes over tomorrow... Heh, I wonder if she'll be happy...*
Despite her thoughts, Touye's brows were tightly furrowed. The ominous feeling in her heart was growing stronger, so much so that she abandoned her training and ran straight back to her wooden cabin. She threw herself onto the bed, wrapped herself in her quilt, and began to roll around restlessly.
Nearby, the still-dizzy rabbit, now in a cage made of ice, twitched occasionally.
After a while, the bundle of blankets on the bed, having squirmed for some time, could finally bear it no longer. Touye shot her head out from under the covers and yelled, "I can't take it anymore!"
Since she couldn't find peace, she might as well go and see for herself.
With that thought, Touye slowly climbed out of bed, grabbed the rabbit on her way out, and ran from the cabin toward the village. Although she hadn't set foot in the village for two years, she had at least observed it from a distance a few times, so she wouldn't get lost.
Along the way, the ominous premonition weighed heavily on her, casting countless shadows over her heart and making her unconsciously quicken her pace.
Suddenly, a thought struck her, exploding in her mind like a clap of thunder and nearly causing her to stumble...
Touye immediately broke into a desperate sprint toward the village.
Fear made it almost impossible for her to think clearly. *Today... is Haku's fifth birthday! I remember, it was on her fifth birthday that her bloodline awakened, and her home and family were destroyed! Damn it! Why! Why did I forget! Damn it! Haku, Auntie Lian, you have to, have to be okay! I'm almost there!*
Running as if her life depended on it, Touye felt she was on the verge of collapse. She finally reached the village and, without pausing for breath, rushed toward Haku and Lian's little cottage. Strangely, she didn't see a single villager along the way.
This sent a fresh wave of panic through her heart, and she wished she could sprout wings and fly to Haku's side.
In the distance, Haku's cottage came into view. But the sight that met her eyes turned Touye's face pale: the small but cozy home was now encased in thick, solid ice, like a specimen trapped in amber.
Touye's mind went blank, and she collapsed to the ground. The rabbit in her hand fell to the side. After the frantic run, the poor snow rabbit was already bleeding from its mouth and nose, clearly dead.
She sat there numbly, an indescribable feeling churning within her.
The happiness she had fought so hard to find... had it vanished, just like that?
Visions of her days with Lian and Haku flashed before her eyes. Having grown accustomed to that life, Touye couldn't find the words to express the anguish in her heart. All she could do was bite her lower lip, fighting to keep the sobs from escaping.
But then, a faint sound brought her back to her senses. *Haku! There's still Haku! Haku must still be alive!*
Tears of joy streamed down Touye's face. She hastily wiped them away and scrambled into the ice-house.
Though most of it was frozen, there were still some gaps. Taking advantage of her small frame, Touye squeezed past towering ice pillars, crawling toward the source of the sound. She didn't dare break the surrounding pillars; the cottage's structure had already been compromised, and only the ice was holding it up. If she shattered them, the roof would likely collapse instantly. She would be fine, but Haku wouldn't.
Sharp icicles cut her small body, leaving a trail of wounds, but she grit her teeth and endured the pain. She called out Haku's name, but received no answer, which only fueled her growing terror, making her forget her own injuries.
When she reached the center of the cottage, the sight that greeted her nearly made her break down completely. Yet she held back her tears and crawled toward a corner.
Behind her, Lian's body lay silently on the ground, untouched by the ice. A deep wound gaped on her back, the bleeding long since stopped.
Nearby, the figures of several men were frozen solid within the ice. Touye recognized one of them as the man Haku had called father.
After what felt like an eternity, Touye finally reached the corner and fell to the ground with a thud. She quickly looked up and saw a small body. A flicker of joy ignited in her heart. She scrambled to her feet and limped toward Haku, pulling her into an embrace. "Haku!" she said, her voice choked with emotion. "Thank goodness! You're alive... Thank goodness... Haku..."
The little girl in her arms raised her head blankly. Her unfocused eyes sent a pang of agony through Touye's heart.
The little girl looked down again and spoke in a flat, hopeless voice. "Sister... Mother... is dead. Father killed her. Father... is dead, too... I... killed him..."
Touye's heart ached with pity. She held the little girl tighter, rubbing her chin against her head. "It's not your fault... Haku, it's not your fault... If only I'd gotten here sooner... Maybe this wouldn't have happened. I'm sorry, Haku, I'm so sorry..."
The little girl seemed not to hear, her small face still pale, her eyes vacant. "It's all gone. I have nothing left... Everyone... is dead... Dead... I'm the only one left. I... have... nothing..."
Touye stiffened. She pulled Haku out of her embrace and looked her in the eyes, shouting, "What about me? What about me? You still have me!"
Haku seemed to snap out of her stupor slightly, staring at Touye in a daze. "Sis...ter..."
"If... if I didn't have you, how could I go on living... Haven't we... always... been together?"
As she spoke, Touye couldn't hold back her own tears. After enduring that hellish past, it was Haku's comfort that had healed her heart's wounds, preventing her parents' death from leaving a permanent shadow. But now, as she stood by Haku's side, Haku claimed to have nothing left. It felt to Touye as if she was being abandoned.
Seeing Touye cry, Haku's expression finally broke. She threw her arms around Touye and began to sob, her words coming out in broken gasps. "Yes, yes! We'll... always be together..."
After a long while, Touye calmed down. Haku had already fallen asleep. After such a devastating ordeal, she was mentally and physically exhausted. Sleep would shield her from further harm.
Touye gently laid Haku aside, carefully draping her own jacket over her. Then she turned to face the frozen cottage. She still had things to do.
After quickly tending to her wounds, Touye crawled back to the center of the house. She carefully lifted Lian's body, then shot a cold, indifferent glance at the terrified face of the man frozen in the ice pillar before turning away and heading back to Haku.
***
Carrying the body of an adult, the journey back was far more difficult than she had imagined. But Touye had no intention of leaving Lian here. She planned to take her out and give her a proper burial. It was the least she could do to repay her kindness.
Touye carefully used her ice-style chakra to slowly melt the small gaps in the ice, all the while making sure the roof didn't collapse. The tedious work was something no outsider could understand.
After painstakingly carving a hole in the wall and moving Haku and Lian outside, Touye looked back at the cottage. This place, which held nothing but endless pain for Haku, was better off buried.