||MekakucitY∞TimE∞TravelS|| Part 2: The Haze

●B☆RS III● Personas

(AN) Been doing a little revision of each chapter to maintain the consistency of plot. Some changes had been done to this chapter in particular.

(AN) Lots of BRS analysis coming up 

[The pic on the right is the darkened persona of Shintaro (i used the vocaloid Yokune Rook, coz well he kinda looks similar to Shin-kun)

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Her gun made a dull scraping noise as Black Rock Shooter stepped over a large stone. She could hear the sounds of metals clashing hollowly, small explosions, gunshots, and whipcrack. She crouched and stared over the terrain. 

At first she saw nothing but streaks of colored lights. Only after close observation that she realize there were three figures, two red and one blue. One of the red warriors held a long red ribbon that vaguely resembled a scarf, that was attached to the cape that flowed to her ankles and flurried with every movement; her feet leaving red marks whenever they touched the ground, like blood marks left in a murderer's wake. She watched as that red girl slash at the red male with her scarf, and he was staggering as if it was spiked with thorns.

Holding up the red-eyed male figure by glowing thin chains was a lean girl in blue, zooming through the air directly above and leaving a trail of blue pixels after her feet. She was lifting him off his feet, swinging him around, then slamming him down and dragging him on the ground. How he was still able to battle the red female, Rock didn't know, but both girls simultaneously continued their fearless battle. 

She examined at him closer. Both of his eyes were burning red, and blood and scratches covered his thin and hollow face. With dark circles under his eyes, he swiped at the red girl with a giant scissor-looking crossblade. And every time a small glowing keypad appeared before his fingertips, the resistance of the floating blue girl seemed to lessen a little.

This isn't right, she thought. Well of course. Black Rock Shooter's vague memories told her so, that she had arrived here for a reason, that she was meant to intervene in this fight.

Planting her left foot forward, her machine gun clicked and whirred to life as Rock raised it to her flaming blue eye. Her perfect position to aim and fire was priceless, and she couldn't waste a moment like this.

Just as her finger touched the trigger, a massive force slammed into her from behind, sending her toppling down the mountainside.

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"I understand why you're afraid, but I don't think it's a good idea to obssess over Shintaro while pretending to be a stranger, Ene-chan."

Kano's words echoed in her head. She could still picture the scene so clearly. 

"What do you . . . "

She didn't want to do it in the first place. But she had to, for her best friend's sake.

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT IT?!?!?!?"

"I know."

Haruka.

"You're already starting to forget about me, aren't you?"

His carefree smile, forming words that were meant for an expression of betrayal. The very memory of it left her in cold sweat.

"Haru . . . ka . . . ????"

"You're trying to make Shintaro forget about Ayano."

He didn't have to say it himself.

"Right, Takane???"

.

.

.

I'm sorry.

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The lithe form jumped over so fast, Rock almost mistook it for a shadow.

Feeling started to grow in her limbs and feet, as she realized she was lying spread-eagled on her back after the mighty long fall from the cliff. She stretched her neck and glared at the battle through her upside-down vision. Her gun was still intact, and using it as a leverage, she ignored the dulling pain from her knees and stood up.

Black Gold Saw.

The loathsome bone-clad woman who wielded an axe-like vertebra bigger than her body.

The red male was still locked in combat with the red female, but her attacks were obviously growing stronger with every blow that connected with his crossblade. The flying pixel girl—-who was still attached to the red male—-was suddenly being hacked by the maroon bone-clad woman. Rock felt her legs grow stronger as she came up with Gold Saw's logic:

If the red female kills the male, he'll completely forget about her.

But if the blue pixel girl kills the male, she's the one to be forgotten.

Before, since the pixel girl's attacks had been stronger than the red female's, it means that the male really wanted to forget about the red female.

But the red female didn't want to be forgotten, therefore she continued her struggle to maintain in the red male's consciousness.

Gold Saw wanted to weaken the pixel girl's attacks on the male. 

. . . . . . If she dies, she'll completely forget about the red male.

Why did Gold Saw want to divert the pixel girl's focus????

Black Rock Shooter puzzled over the question in her mind. She didn't know who to help, and the uncertainty of the situation left her shocked at her own hesitation. It wasn't her nature to just stand and watch while others were being hurt, even if they were strangers.

"Help her," an inner voice chided, and Rock suddenly knew who she was referring to. It was her otherworldly persona. The girl named Mato Kuroi. 

She took a step forward but the hem of her cape seemed to get stuck on something. She tugged, hoping that the irritating bramble would break. The force held on. Rock turned, and and expression of surprise crossed her darkened features. 

It was a white-and-yellow-clad boy. He enclosed her cape in the ball of his pale fist, and with dead and unseeing pink eyes, stared at her from his broken position on the ground. Obviously he had been thrown from the cliff-side just like her.

So you're the one she wanted to forget, Rock thought.

Yes, he seemed to say.