Void • Memoria

48. Faded Reality

Tempo Memoria ( Keiko's Point of View Part 5 )

"OK, we'll be safe here. We just have to hope Yuki is ok, if Hiro comes then we can team up. Right?" I asked nervously as I looked at Natsumi, trying to find a positive solution to the problem.

Though all of me was worried sick about Yuki. Could she even last a minute against a monster like Hiro?

Natsumi seemed to be spaced out as she stared out into the woods, a sad look in her eyes. I forced a small smile as I gently hugged her to try and comfort her.

I hate the idea of my friends being so depressed, let alone dead or hurting. Hell, even them fighting hurts me. But I had to stay calm, stay civil. I have to support Natsumi through this.

I can focus on how I feel about this all later when this dies down.

We can all overcome it. It's just 4 years.

Natsumi slowly wrapped her arms around me and she hugged me tightly as if I was a lifeline to her.

"I'm... Sorry, Keiko," She said in a saddened whisper. Her breathing was shaky as if she was struggling to fight back tears. I felt her body shake in my arms as she sobbed.

"Shh, shh, it's ok you did nothing wrong," I hushed in hopes of easing her. Hearing that she was blaming herself hurt me. She was just a sweet girl, she didn't deserve to blame herself for such cruel things.

She shook her head softly. "You're injured. Aren't you? You can't fight with one arm." Natsumi was right, my shoulder was pretty banged up. I guess the bruise only made the damage done to it obvious.

I might not be able to hold my own in a fight if it comes to it. But I'll be able to at least use this life to buy Natsumi time to escape if needed.

If that's what it takes to help a friend, then I'll force myself through it. Even if it hurts.

I have this life for a reason.

"Yeah, but it'll be ok, you don't have to worry about me," I finally replied with a smile.

Silence ensued between us before Natsumi slowly let go of the hug and looked at me with a serious look in her sad black eyes.

"Keiko... Did Yuki tell you anything?"

I hesitated before I answered. "She, well, Kurai told me Seina died. But that's all they told me, why?"

Natsumi turned her head away from me as if she didn't want to make eye contact as she asked her next question. "I see... Do, you trust them?" I felt confused by her words.

"Trust them? Yuki, and Kurai?" I asked for clarification. Once Natsumi nodded, my confusion only grew. But, then again I guess I can't blame her. Hiro turned on us, so maybe she's just having anxiety about the rest of us betraying her.

"Of course I do, they never given us a reason not to. I mean, Yuki works hard to protect us, doesn't she? And if she trusts Kurai, shouldn't we?" I explained with a warm smile in an attempt to calm Natsumi's nerves.

"Right..." She said softly, disappointment was evident in her voice. Did I say something wrong?

I slowly took a step back as she looked at me with determination, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "I'm sorry Keiko." She said in nearly a whisper, a katana materializing in her hand.

Wasn't her weapon those needles she had tied to her wrist? What's with the katana? I quickly took a few more steps back in caution.

I felt as if alarms were going off inside of me. Telling me to run.

She slowly took a stance that mirrored what I'd seen Yuki so many times before in her kendo classes. The katana in her hands looked just like Yuki's, only the colors were different.

"Your body is a clock. Speed it up." The voice of the god I signed with echoed in my head, reminding me of the time he told me to picture my core as a clock.

I took a deep breath as I envisioned turning the hands of my clock. As if I was speeding up my very being.

I don't want to hurt any of my friends. But if I move faster than her, then I can disarm her. Right?

It looked as if her movements were slightly slowed down as she attempted to strike me, I quickly moved to the side, barely escaping her swing.

Even without speeding myself up, she seemed rather slow. I don't think she really knew what she was doing, she was just mimicking Yuki at a beginner level.

I grabbed her katana and quickly wrestled it out of her grasp. I felt my shoulder stiffen as I moved it, the pain was unbearable. I felt as if my muscles were being pinched.

When Natsumi moved to reach for the katana, I moved backward to make space between us. She glared at me when she realized I was too fast for her to keep up with. I held her katana firmly with my good arm as I watched white smoke come from her back and form a sharp tentacle-like shape.

Every time she attempted to stab me with it, I was able to barely dodge it. It was faster than her physically, but thankfully it still wasn't fast enough. After a few missed attempts to impale me, her tentacle split into two smaller ones.

She moved them to opposite sides of me. I glanced between both of them at rapid speed to prepare myself for their next movement if she made an attempt to impale me again.

White smoke slowly spilled from them, making a large pool of smoke around me. It made me feel oddly tingly, I didn't trust it. Before I could back all the way out of the smoke, I felt my body lighten.

It felt so warm. 

So freeing.

Time stopped.