A New Generation: A ZoroMiku Story

31: Drowning

Miku

"Get into the water!" Hyaku snapped, shoving Miku onto her knees. She gasped as she hit the sand, fear spiking through her chest. Hyaku grabbed her by her pigtails, yanking them back hard. She cried out in pain and tried to flail. Now that he had her by her pigtails, she couldn't move her neck. His grip was too strong.

"I should have dealt with that idiotic boy instead. It's a shame you have to die because you didn't choose me." Hyaku sighed, sounding almost disappointed. "You belonged with me...you're so much like 988. You should have chosen me...everything went wrong. But whatever. I'll just have to get rid of you, I wouldn't be able to trust you knowing you wanted him as your partner still even if he was dead."

"S-stop!" Miku cried. She gritted her teeth and struggled to her feet, only to have him kick her painfully in the back of the knees. She fell forward and he yanked her up into a forceful sitting position, painfully pulling on her pigtails. "Hyaku, I thought we were friends!" Tears were beginning to form in the corner of her eyes. "Why can't we just be friends?"

Hyaku's voice was hysterical. "Because...you're basically her. You should've been her replacement! 988...I've never met someone like her until I met you. I need her...I needed you to be her. But you failed...you somehow broke fate...and that broke my heart!" Still having a tight threshold on her hair, Hyaku began to forcefully pull her into the water, deeper and deeper. Miku struggled, splashing her hands around whilst angrily shouting at him. 

"You broke our trust! What is wrong with you, Hyaku?" Miku yelled as he pushed her down onto her knees once more. The water was up to her shoulders now. Her uniform was soaked. Her hat had fallen off at some point during her struggle. "Let me go!"

"No," Hyaku's voice was firm. "I...I can't handle knowing you were stolen from me, and that you'd never be with me. I had a dream...988 was saying you belong with me. To me. And if I can't have you...if you're going to deny me that...I'm going to have to get rid of you."

"You're crazy!" Miku spat. "And a freak...a-a crazy freak!" She tried to fight against him but he used his free hand to shove her in the back, pushing her closer to the water. Now it was lapping at her chin. She was shaking now, terrified and cold. 

"Sorry," Hyaku said icily. "But this was you choice...you could've chosen me instead!" With that, he pushed her head completely into the water, causing it to surge over her head. She tried to gasp out but was too late, causing water to surge into her mouth and nostrils. She immediately became overwhelmed by panic. She shoved her head up as hard as she could, breaking the water's surface for a few moments. She coughed out water, spluttering as she tried to fight back. Hyaku shoved her back under almost immediately.

She had no idea if she was going to live to see another day...

Zorome

"Wait...this is Miku's hat! From her special uniform" Zorome exclaimed, his heart lurching. He had seen patches of ground here and there that had what looked to be scratch marks in them, as though someone or something had clawed at the ground to escape something. He knew something was wrong. His stomach clenched and he felt like he was going to be sick. What was going on? Why was this happening?

Zorome picked her hat up and carried it with him. It seemed like Miku had been heading to the beach...or something? He definitely had no clue what to think. He swiftly made his way toward the beach, keeping an eye out for any sign of his partner. "Miku? Are you around here? Miku?" He called out as he ran. 

He couldn't find anything else aside from scraped and scratched patches in the ground. His stomach was pounding quite hard in his chest. Now he was even more sure something was wrong. It wasn't like Miku to skip an event...not unless something bad had happened or she was truly upset. Even then, he didn't see her just running off from such an important celebration.

As he neared the beach, he heard the sound of screams coming from somewhere near the water, followed by loud splashes. Zorome's hair stood on end. He knew that scream all to well: it was Miku's. 

Something was definitely wrong.

Immediately, Zorome raced toward the beach. His feet kicked up sand as he raced onto the beach and headed for the shoreline. He skidded to a halt and nearly fell into the water when he realized the screams were very close now. 

Then he saw it.

Further down, deeper into the water, Hyaku was standing there, forcefully shoving someone into the water.

It was Miku.

Hyaku was trying to kill Miku.

For a moment, Zorome gazed at the water, his eyes wide with shock. His hands fell limply to his side and he dropped Miku's hat onto the sand. He began to breathe heavily, sweat forming on his forehead and face. His mind was spinning and tears were beginning to form in the corners of his eyes. He couldn't believe what he was saying. Pure horror and shock were making him dizzy, causing him to sway on his feet. 

Then his hands formed into fists. His teeth clenched and he shut his eyes for a moment, trembling with anger. 

"Get. Away. From. Her." Zorome snarled.

Hyaku's head snapped up and he looked at Zorome, clearly having not noticed his presence. Without even letting him reply, Zorome threw himself at Hyaku in a rage, tearing him away from his partner. It was almost on instinct. Hyaku landed in the water with a loud splash. Zorome was hyperventilating now, his shoulders rising and falling as he loudly inhaled and exhaled. He couldn't see anything other than red now. He was still shaking with rage, shock, and fear. 

Then, without even thinking, he began to continue his attack on Hyaku.