Trapped

STORY

Her dark robes billowed around her, encircling her slender torso. Lithe and graceful, Tsunade stood on the cliff; a lone figure watching the ruthless waves splash against the precipice. Tears slid silently down her face, sparkling in the moonlight. Her glazed eyes stared into the distance, camouflaging her anguish. Oblivious to her surroundings, she recalled the previous night’s events with ghastly vividness. Tsunade’s sister’s expression was engraved within the realms of her memory. It still gnawed at her.

The manic gleam dancing in Makuto’s eyes coupled with her deranged laughter had made her an ideal specimen of insanity. Fits of madness, such as those which had prevailed the previous night, were not uncommon. Nonetheless, this did not make it any less painful for Tsunade. She was obliged to care for her deranged sister, Makuto. This arduous task was laid before Tsunade on the day her mother had passed into the void. In a fit of madness, Makuto had killed her mother with a knife snatched from a table. During her mother’s life time, Makuto had an indefinable air of having been well cared for. However, now with Tsunade as her caretaker, Makuto’s health steadily declined. Not that it was of any concern to Tsunade. She merely desired relief from the shackles of ‘caring and providing’ for her sister.

The claps of thunder brought her back with a jolt. She felt trapped with her insane sister. Tsunade wished that Makuto could be detained in a mad house. However, her mother’s will stated otherwise, and Tsunade had always followed her wishes if nothing else. She shook away the glistening tears from her eyes. Suddenly, the night became much darker; thick clouds blanketed the moon like a veil. Dejectedly, Tsunade traipsed down the cliff into her car. Just as she was about to start the engine, a dark-haired someone leaped up from the passenger seat. Tsunade jumped and gave a loud shriek.

“Makuto! What are you doing? Don’t do that you nearly gave me a heart attack!”

There was a long pause. Then, “You were crying. I saw you at the cliff. You consider me a burden, don’t you Tsunade? I apologize for all the trouble I have caused you. That was never my intention.”

The thing which Tsunade thought unnerving about Makuto, apart from her insanity, was her voice. It seemed mechanical and emotionless. Tsunade made no response. A cold silence hung about for the remainder of the journey.

On reaching home, Tsunade locked Makuto in her room as she always did. Sighing in relief, she proceeded to the backyard, Tsunade hoped to retreat into the arbour; the sky had cleared and the inviting breeze persuaded her to leave behind all her worries. Crash! The loud crash cut through the silence like a whip. Startled, Tsunade shot inside the house.

Hands fumbling, she turned the key in the lock. A bad mistake. Makuto flew at her, eyes popping madly and pinned Tsunade to the ground. In a state of frenzy, Makuto tore at her hair and let out a howl like a wounded animal. Eyeing the small coffee table in the corner, Makuto dashed towards it and grabbed the knife from it. She jumped near Tsunade and brought the knife to her throat. Makuto’s head was tilted to one side, as if she was curious to see what would happen if she proceeded.

“Should I kill you?” she asked sweetly. Terrified, Tsunade clutched the injection firmly in her hands and attempted to inject it into Makuto. However, Makuto slapped it away. She threw back her head and the room reverberated with her mirthless laughter. She threw the knife away and ran to the window.

Glancing back at Tsunade, she cried, “Now you won’t be trapped anymore! Goodbye!”

Saying that, she jumped out of the window.

“No! Makuto!”

It was too late. Thud! Tsunade ran to the window and looked below. The crumpled heap of Makuto was clearly visible from the second floor. Tsunade was free from the ‘shackles of caring for Makuto’. However, she could never be free of this guilt. She had failed to fulfill her mother’s dying wish. Tsunade was trapped for eternity.