Andromeda

Ayumi walked over to the dying assassin looking down at his bleeding corpse with her sword up ready to finish him off. The man did not seem to have any fear or surprise, but more peaceful in spite of having lost.

“They already know. There will be…no hiding any longer.”

“You told them where to find him before we arrived. I won’t let them kill him.” A painful laugh came from the man until Ayumi ended his life with the sword through his heart. The assassin quickly stopped soon afterwards as the blood continued to pour into the snow. Ayumi dropped her field and collapsed to one knee panting heavily to get her breath. “He pushed me to my limits…”

“Ayumi?!” Yuki shouted in surprise as he was lifting up Saki to check on her. He looked back at Saki and again at Ayumi not certain what he should do with the two girls. “Saki? Are you…” He did not know what happened to Saki after the vines had grabbed her. He hoped that his fears were just being exaggerated and she would open her eyes, but she remained motionless. “Saki… please…”

Saki still features held firm against Yuki’s pleads, but it was all shattered by a brief coughing. Yuki lifted Saki up so that she was sitting to give her a more comfortable position. “Yuki…” She coughed again feeling out her body that was quickly returning back to her. The pain that she was feeling across her muscles drained away with all of the wounds that she took from the spiked and bladed plants last desperate attack. “Yuki…”

Chapter 23 – Pieces that Remain

“Saki! You’re alive!”

“Yes… somehow…” Saki said looking at herself still not having believed that she went up against one of the assassins and survived. It was not as though she thought she was going to die in the fight either. The fight had to be done and she knew that, but with everything that happened she was not useless. She had been able to keep her promise to Yuki. ‘My promise remains, Yuki. I’m glad.’

“You’re an idiot…” Ayumi said walking over to the two of them appearing perfectly healthy, but it was clear from her eyes and words that she was completely fatigued.

Saki grinned sheepishly at Ayumi knowing that it was the truth. “Sorry. You feeling alright? You look fine, but you sound terrible.”

Ayumi dropped to the ground roughly as though she had been barely holding herself up the entire time. “My body may be perfect due to Yuki’s field, but no amount of healing can restore mental energies that I spent during the use of Meso Prosecho.” She hung her head down still drawing up long breaths like she had run for miles at her hardest.

“Meso Prosecho? Yuki’s field?” Saki said looking confused by the entry of new terms that she had not heard.

Yuki looked over at Ayumi concerned because he had never seen her look so fatigued before from using her power. He turned back chiming in for an answer. “She’s talking about the Kasou-ryoku.” The answer that Yuki gave still eluded Saki making him step back further while Ayumi twitched in annoyance. “It’s the name of the power that we have.”

“And your field?”

“Dunno, my field isn’t up. So I don’t know what Ayumi’s talking about.”

“Idiot…” Ayumi said painfully having her previous statement directed at the both of them and not just Saki. She was not completely surprised by the lack of attention that Yuki had. “You have a field on right now, Yuki. You just didn’t realize it.”

“Huh? When?” he said looking around at the ground searching for signs of a field, but still not seeing anything apart from the cement floor.

“During the fight, you activated it. There were no visible signs of it, but the affects could be seen. You created a healing field that provided high-speed restoration. That was how we were able to keep fighting after all of those injures.” Ayumi paused for a moment to breathe again not feeling any better and knowing it would not change for some time. “Even now it is still on, that’s why neither of us have any wounds.”

“That’s was Yuki?” Saki said finally piecing everything together slowly. The whole idea of their powers still made her mind hurt to think about the paradox that it created, but accepting it for what she saw was simple enough. “Then all of that…” She looked down at her arms and body remembering the wounds that she had taken.

“What are you talking about, Ayumi?”

“You really are dumb…”

“How do I turn it off if I don’t know it’s on?” Yuki said looking around himself like he was searching for a light switch that would just change his field. He started to panic a little not certain what he was supposed to do if he could not turn it off.

“Well Ayumi? What do you suggest?” Saki said as she stood up feeling better, though still tired. It was a strange feeling for her that her muscles understood that they had been burned to exhaustion and yet thanks to Yuki they were in perfect condition. The whole experience did leave her a little hungry though.

Ayumi could not stand up on her own still and watching Yuki freaking out was only making her feel even more tired. “Just give him a good hit to the head. That’ll work.”

“You sure?” said Saki staring down at Ayumi a little surprised by the simplest solution. She was half expecting it to be a long drawn out effort on Yuki’s part that only he could do alone. The scene of Yuki internally boiling in panic and confusion expressed outward made Saki sweat. She could not question a simple answer and tightened up her fist. Yuki was still unaware of his surroundings after Ayumi’s words giving Saki plenty of time. “Sorry, Yuki…” Saki swung her arm out catching Yuki off guard and laying him out on the floor. “Did that work, Ayumi?”

“Probably…”

“What do you mean? Don’t you know? Can’t you sense if it is on still?”

Ayumi became a little frustrated by the assumptions that people around her made. “As I told Yuki before, you need to stop thinking about this like the fiction you read. I can’t sense anything, none of it can be detected except through what is visibly shown. Yuki had no visible signs, so being off will look and feel the same as being on. But he is unconscious so unless his mind really wants to keep the field up it is gone now.”

“How are you?” Saki knelt down to offer a hand for support for Ayumi seeing the shape that she was in. She was taken aback by how much their power exerted on their body. If she had not taken any injures she would no doubt still be in the same condition. ‘She must have used everything she had in the last attack after everything she was throwing at him before. If that wasn’t the strongest assassin then…’

“I think I already said,” Ayumi said sharply, “That hasn’t changed.”

“Don’t have to be a jerk about it… I’m just being polite.” Saki pulled up Ayumi to her feet even without her acceptance. She started to walk with Ayumi over to Yuki, but became distracted by the assassin nearby that lay dead. Saki had thought back to when they were fighting. All of her kicks had connected and felt like they hurt the man, yet he was using his power at the time. “Ayumi… During the fight with this man. I noticed that I was hurting with just physical attacks. Does your powers make your body stronger or better?”

“No, that is one of the limitations of our power. We can’t alter, change or improve our bodies. So we are just as mortal as you. That’s why it’s important to have a solid defense. Because if they’re sloppy even someone like you can kill one of us just as easily a normal human being.”

Saki twitched her eye at the last few words that came from Ayumi. “Sounds like you’re insulting me…”

“Perhaps…”

Their eyes turned away from the assassin to Yuki sleeping peacefully on the ground. “So even he is vulnerable…” Saki narrowed her eyes as she stared at him starting to become concerned about the fragile nature of his life. ‘I thought because he had this power he was stronger somehow now… But he is just the same. I’ll have to keep our promise even more so now.’

Saki looked over at the cells seeing that there were still some people staying in them even though they were wide open. She had not had the time to look at the cells when she arrived, but she had assumed that she would find everyone still trapped. The state that things were left in confused her, but not for long as she looked for Hitomi. There were only a few people left, but as she got closer to the cell that Hitomi had been in was still holding someone. “Hitomi!” The person did not move, but it was clear that it was a school uniform from their school. “Hitomi?”

When they were outside of the cell door Saki let Ayumi rest against the bars while she went inside for Hitomi. Saki knelt beside the girl pulling her shoulder back to get a view of her face to confirm her belief. “Hitomi…” she said as the hair on her face fell back clearing away a dirty and bruised face. Hitomi was still out from the ordeal that she had to endure. Saki knew how painful it was and what she must have gone through during it. “Hitomi?” Shaking her was not helping, but Saki did not know what else to try to wake her. ‘I can’t carry everyone out of here.’

There was some slow movement out of Hitomi after all Saki’s efforts. Eventually, Hitomi opened her eyes looking up at Saki a little confused. She jerked back suddenly as though she had seen something that frightened her.

“Hitomi! It’s alright. It’s safe now.” Saki lost control of Hitomi as she fled out of her arms to the corner of the cell. She rushed after Hitomi grabbing her and bringing her close to her so that she knew that she was not alone. “You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

“S-S-Saki…”

“Yeah, it’s me, Saki!” Saki let Hitomi have some room after she had calmed down. Hitomi looked around the warehouse taking in everything still wrinkled in uncertainty. “The bad man is gone.”

“The vines? Vines…” Hitomi started to panic again from the images that were being summoned up on her mind making Saki grab her once more. “So many… Get out! Stop!”

“Hitomi! It’s over! Hitomi!” Saki was regretting saying anything now with the state that she was in. She did not know why she had managed to get through without the side effects everyone else had. Saki wanted to cry seeing Hitomi acting like that beyond her control. There was nothing that she could do to bring her to ease. “Hitomi…”

While Saki fell against the bars being trapped by her failure Hitomi sank deeper into the madness that enveloped her. The screaming had persisted for minutes and pounding until Hitomi exhausted herself and collapsed to the ground panting no longer able to keep focus. Her mind began to drift away and other thoughts came to the surface. “Saki…Takako… S-Saki…we have to… find Takako.”

The words pulled Saki back to reality coming to Hitomi’s side to listen. She had all but forgotten the whole reason that they had first set out the other day. “Takako, that’s right. We were looking for her. Hitomi…”

“Find…her…”

Saki looked around the warehouse quickly seeing other cells with people still in them. She was not certain if any of them were Takako, but it might get Hitomi to move away from her troubles. “She might be here still. Let’s look. Okay?” It did not take much to lift Hitomi back up to her feet now that she had a goal in mind. The thought seemed to be a driving force for her and gave her the energy that she needed to move forward. “Will you be fine here, Ayumi?” She had forgotten that she had left Ayumi by the cell with a rather annoyed look on her face.

“Yeah…find your friend.”

Hitomi did not seem to need as much help walking as Saki thought as she slipped out of her hands. She staggered a little down the aisle, but carried her feet onward to a cell that was close by with the girl that Saki had tried to speak to before. The girl was rolled up against the cell muttering something under her breath. “Takako…”

“Is that Takako?” Saki said trying to remember what she looked like. She had only seen her a few times and the girl was so badly changed by the whole experience it was impossible for Saki to know. However, Hitomi seemed to be certain walking into the cell over to Takako.

“Takako… It’s me, Hitomi from track.”

“Leave me… No more… …plants…” The girl was not responding to anything from Hitomi. She did not even look up leaving her hair to cover over her entire face and hang over her knees.

Hitomi fell to the ground next to the girl starting to cry as she put her arms around her. “Takako…” She had set her head against Takako’s trying to comfort her.

As Saki watched she felt like she was seeing herself over again. She could not look any more and stepped out searching through the room for others that needed help. There were only four others that were left in the cells for Saki to help. When she woke them from their trance like state they were able to regain themselves. They were disoriented, but able to walk on their own. She offered to help them and guide them out into town, but they declined. The cells were empty for all but Hitomi and Takako with Ayumi resting against the bars.

Saki walked over to give Ayumi support before returning to Hitomi. “Hitomi… Can you two move? We should get out of here before the police do show up.” She got a momentary glance from her leaving her questioning what action Hitomi was going to take. However, Hitomi moved from her seat next to Takako and began to work with her to lift Takako up off the floor.

“Time to go,” Hitomi said softly to Takako as they moved together with Takako doing the motions of walking without actively acknowledging it. Saki was satisfied now and took Ayumi out of the aisle nearly stumbling over the still body of Yuki.

The two girls looked at each other for a moment and then both kicked him in the side. It was enough to make him cough and stir back awake. Yuki raised himself up looking thoroughly confused by his current position. The pain from when Saki hit him came screaming back to him as he grabbed for the bruise on his head. “You hit me!”

“It was the only way!”

Yuki twisted his mouth a little like he was pouting and frustrated knowing that he had done the same thing to himself as a way to stop his imagination. He caught Hitomi out of the corner of his eye around Saki and Ayumi becoming curious to whom she was. “Who are they?”

“That’s Hitomi and Takako I was telling you about earlier.”

“So you were able to find them. I’m glad.” Yuki went around on the other side of Ayumi helping her walk with Saki. “Let’s go home.” Hitomi followed them up with Takako slowly leaving the warehouse behind. The five students made their way back to the train station letting Hitomi taking Takako home while Yuki and Saki tended to Ayumi. The two girls did not ask about what happened, but it left an uneasy air between them on the way back.

Hiroshi was staring at the three of them from the moment that they walked into the house. Jun had been pleased to see that Yuki was safe and Ken joined him as well. They were clinging to their brother while they all sat on the couch. “What are you going to do about cloths?” Yuki said from the couch looking over at Saki’s new fashion.

“What do you mean…” Saki said as she looked down at her uniform that was barely hanging together. The damage that was done to it left her exposed with only her bra to still keep her covered completely. Most of her skirt had managed to stay together. However, she quickly became embarrassed turned red in the face thinking about how long she had been like it. She grabbed up the blanket from the back of the couch and held it around her tightly. “Stop staring!”

“Hey, you’re the one that left after decking me,” Hiroshi said showing a surprising amount of bravery in front of Saki. “It’s your own fault.”

“Don’t make me come over there…”

“Think you can hit while keeping yourself covered.”

Yuki could not help but laugh starting to feel better about the whole thing. He smiled seeing that it all worked out in the end and Saki returned safely. The concerns of more assassins did not enter his mind, but there was one thing that he should have been fearing. Momoko was entering the house coming back from her full-time job at the bookstore to see all of his friends in the living room.

To be continued…