Unknown POV
My first feeling toward the world was suffocation and pain.
My sight was limited to what was right in front of me, blurred by the liquid I was in. Even though I was submerged, I wasn't in any real danger of drowning, although at times I wished I would.
Even without being able to see clearly, I knew there were many tanks like the one I was in. Other children, probably my age, were trapped there too. Day after day, one by one, they disappeared.
Tubes ran across all our bodies. Some I recognized as food; others were a scarlet red I couldn't name. There was one with a bluish tint that, every time it reached me, made me black out.
That was when they weren't testing what they once called "our pain limit." Sometimes they used liquid substances, sometimes instruments, sometimes even electrical currents in the water itself. They also inserted information into our minds.
One day, after getting that bluish liquid, I woke up more disoriented than usual. My vision was thicker than before, keeping me from telling what was in front of me. I could only make out blurry silhouettes and hear very faint voices.
– No progress at all with this lab – a man's voice said, sounding disappointed – None of them woke it up.
I was used to his voice; every time one of us was taken, he was the one who chose. His silhouette was average height, short dark hair, and bandages across part of his face.
– We're going to shut the experiment down – another man announced in a slow, dragged voice – They're following leads and already know about this lab. It's just a matter of time before they get here.
The man with the dragged voice seemed taller than the first. He had medium-length dark hair and no face covering.
The short-haired man moved toward a panel near the tanks. At that same moment I saw the other kids start thrashing in their tanks. Moments later I felt something burning in my chest.
The liquid I was wrapped in pushed into my lungs and my chest felt like it was on fire. I held my breath, but I knew I wouldn't last long. Meanwhile, the long-haired man came closer to the tank I was in.
– It's a shame to waste such promising material – he said, and I watched him lick his long tongue across his lips.
I tried to see his face better, but the only thing I caught clearly were his eyes — a golden color with a slit where the pupil should be. He and the other man stepped away, and I watched, little by little, the tank lights go out.
I saw the other children stop moving, their bodies growing heavy and sinking. I raised my hands and pounded on the tank glass. Why is this happening? I thought.
Even surrounded by water, I felt tears leave my eyes. Those kids were like me, and now they were being wiped out one by one. I hit the glass again and again, but it did nothing.
My breath reached its limit and I couldn't hold it anymore. The liquid filled my lungs and I started to choke. My body grew heavier and it became harder to keep my eyes open.
I pressed my hands to the glass in front of me and saw my reflection: my short red hair floating in the liquid, and, unlike the dark-green of my eyes, the hair had a scarlet, blood-like sheen. What is that…? I wondered, vaguely, and my vision returned to normal for a moment.
A deafening noise tore through the room and a cloud of smoke poured into the area where the tanks were. I saw white-clad silhouettes rush in and stop by the first tanks.
– They're dead… – I heard some voices murmur, almost inaudible.
My vision began to darken and I felt basically my whole body slip away. Please, save them!, I thought. I wanted to scream or do something, but my body no longer wanted to fight.
In one last attempt I gathered what was left of my strength and slammed one hand against the glass. I watched the last air bubbles rise from my lungs as my eyes weighed down and closed.
Everything went quiet, and for a moment it felt like it was finally over. My hand was still against the glass and I felt warmth where it touched.
I gave a very weak smile. So this is what warmth feels like…? I thought. Then a wave hit the glass and there was a loud crack. The water and my body were thrown out of the tank.
Air flooded my lungs and I coughed again and again, trying to get rid of the liquid I'd swallowed. Water slid off me and a sudden cold hit my skin, though it didn't completely bother me.
I opened my eyes; my vision was still blurred, but I saw white silhouettes all around. Instinctively I curled up, drawing my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them to cover my tiny naked body.
Voices became audible again, murmurs overlapping each other. That's when I saw two figures much closer to where I lay: one with silver hair and the other a bright yellow, like light.
Another man near them took a step toward me and I shrank even more. The silver-haired man gestured and the others stopped.
The two, silver and yellow-haired, exchanged a brief look and stepped toward me without sudden moves. I stayed completely still, tracking them only with my eyes.
They crouched down to my level and I could see their faces more clearly. The silver-haired man had dark, tired eyes; the blond had lively blue eyes and a calm presence.
– It's okay… – the silver-haired man said softly, and I stared at him – We're not here to hurt you.
The blond slowly lifted his hands and worked the buttons on his long white cloak. Everyone here seemed to be wearing those cloaks. He took his off carefully and looked at me with pity.
– Let me cover you with this – he said, holding the cloak out toward me.
He draped it over my shoulders, wrapping me in it since it was far too big for me. I ran my hand over the fabric, feeling its softness and the warmth left from the man who had worn it.
I looked at the two men and saw worry on their faces. I dropped my eyes a little and felt their tension ease. They both offered faint smiles and glanced at each other.
– Good thing you noticed she was still alive – the silver-haired man told the blond.
– Check if any of the others are alive – the blond said to the others – Report back when you're done – He looked at me again with a weak smile – We're taking you out of here, alright? – He held his hand out to me.
I stared at his hand for a moment and, hesitantly, placed mine in his. My hand was maybe five times smaller than his and his skin was much warmer than mine.
– You're freezing – he said, with a hint of sorrow.
He brought his other hand close and leaned toward me, sliding his free hand along my back and gently pulling me into him. He held me tight and stood up with me in his arms.
– You fought so hard – the blond said with a faint smile, glancing at the silver-haired man, who nodded slightly.
The blond adjusted the cloak around me and settled me in his arms. I felt his body heat warm mine; my muscles loosened little by little and, for the first time, I felt truly safe.
The two men carried me through the room where I'd spent all my days, passing by the others who'd been there.
– Incredible that any of them survived… – their voices became clearer as they talked.
– I think she's the only one… – another said, and my chest tightened the same way it had when I watched the other children drown.
– Can you speak? – the blond asked as they walked, and I lifted my head to look at him.
– Minato, she can't be more than four years old – the silver-haired man said – She must be my son's age, but considering what they did to those children, it's remarkable she survived at all…
– Minato-san… – I said softly.
Both men turned to me, surprised. The blond gave a faint smile and looked at me tenderly.
– That's right, I'm Minato – he said, indicating the man beside him – He's Sakumo. – I looked at the silver-haired man studying me with curiosity.
– Sakumo-san… – I said slowly, looking between them – Minato-san and Sakumo-san. They exchanged a look and smiled weakly.
– What's your name? – Sakumo asked, and I looked at him, shaking my head faintly.
– My name…?
– They didn't give you names? – Minato asked, and I took a few moments to answer.
– They called us tests, experiments, subjects… but never names as nice as yours – Both men looked at me, visibly pained.
– Don't worry – Minato said – We'll give you a nice name too.
We went through one of the lab doors that were always locked. The place was dark, but I could make out things that didn't resemble the equipment from my testing area at all.
At that moment something like an invisible curtain hit us. It didn't hurt — more like a breath. Wind, I thought. But that wind also carried something that wet my face slightly.
Then a flash split the sky, a loud roar began, and something fell from above. Rain, I thought, glancing up. Are we outside the lab…?
– A storm – Minato said, and Sakumo looked at him – Right now?
– Trouble with getting a little rain? – Sakumo asked, relaxed.
– No, but…
Before Minato finished, a loud sound rolled through the sky. Rain with thunder, I thought, trying to make sense of it. I looked at Minato and found him with his eyes closed, and heard Sakumo laugh.
– So the Yellow Flash is scared of thunder? – Sakumo laughed again and Minato looked at him.
– I'm not scared, I just don't like that sound being so loud.
I held my hand out into the heavy rain falling near the three of us, feeling the tiny drops on my skin. It's cold, I thought, but so nice. I noticed Minato and Sakumo had stopped talking and looked at them; they were watching me curiously.
– Looks like, unlike you, she likes the rain – Sakumo said with a faint smile.
– That's it! – Minato said, making me look up at him – What about Amaya?
– Amaya? – I asked.
– It means "Nocturnal Rain" – Sakumo said, and I stared at him – It fits perfectly. – I shifted my gaze between the two men and then to the falling rain.
– Amaya… – I murmured, looking at them – It's a nice name, like yours. – They smiled.
– Hold on to me, Amaya-chan – Minato said – We'll take you somewhere safe.
I grabbed his dark green vest and he pulled part of his cloak over my head. In the next instant, he and Sakumo started running.
I watched everything around us in awe as they ran. Even though it was night, whenever lightning split the sky I could see colors around us.
There were so many colors that my eyes simply couldn't process them all. Even though I was out of the tank, my vision still blurred anything far away.
– You okay, Amaya-chan? – I looked at Minato.
Unlike everything else around us, I could see his face and clothes clearly.
– So many colors… – I said, and he looked ahead.
– You'd never seen the outside? – I shook my head.
– We only left the tanks for tests.
I felt Minato's hands tighten slightly around me and his expression shift for a moment, like he was upset.
– Don't worry – Sakumo said – From now on you won't have to go through any of that again – He gave me a reassuring smile. Minato's expression softened again.
Why are these two people being so kind to me? I wondered. How can they be so different from the ones who raised me and the other children?
Could Minato and Sakumo be wrong? But how could something that caused me no pain be wrong or bad?
Or was it the people who once controlled my life who were wrong? The ones who caused pain to my body and mind? Who tried to… no. Who killed every one of the children like me?
My eyes grew heavy and my body relaxed further. My breathing was calm and slowing little by little.
– You can close your eyes and rest – Minato said – We'll be in Konoha soon.
– Konoha…? – I asked, my eyes half-closed.
– Your new home – Sakumo said with a faint smile.
My life no longer belonged to those who created me, I thought and not even to myself. I looked at Minato and Sakumo once more. My life belonged to these two men, and I would do anything for them.
I closed my eyes and stopped fighting to keep them open. My breathing slowed bit by bit. For the first time, I fell asleep by choice.