From Another World ~ Samo

~ Chapter 25 ~

Momo completely let go of Mina, taking a deep, shaky breath as she stepped back. She had paled, and was even struggling to remain her balance on her two feet.

"Mina..."

"No, I-I didn't-"

"Mina, be honest with me." The best friends stared at each other. "Are you suicidal?"

"No!" The girl answered, and Sana blinked in confusion. That didn't make sense. Mina was definitely not a murderer, so why wouldn't she be suicidal? "I have no reason to kill myself!"

"Then what's the knife for? Mina, were you going to kill yourself?"

"Of course n-" Mina paused, sighing heavily. The otherwise clear air was thick with tension. "Yes..."

And you aren't suicidal?

Mina quickly glanced over what Sana had to say, and nodded. "I'm not, I've been saying this!" The girls' conversation was interrupted by Pip perching on Mina's shoulder. He - not an exaggeration - bit her neck, and the venom coursing through her body was visible as the blood in her wounds turned purple. After around ten seconds, the wounds began to seal, and soon enough, it was as though Mina was completely unharmed (other than the blood on her dress, of course).

"Oh my God..." Momo mumbled, her breaths shaky. Mina jumped up to stand, squealing. Pip flew off and hopped back onto Sana's shoulder, frightened by the sudden movement. Momo looked back at Mina, and shook her head. "Fuck, a bunch of weird stuff has been happening recently, this shouldn't be too surprising. Why were you trying to kill yourself?"

"Because I was forced to!"

"By what? By who? The voices in your head?"

Mina glared at her best friend. "You don't believe me."

"I'm sorry, Mina, but how can I? You need help."

"Everyone tells me I need help, but nobody listens! Nobody ever listens, and when I finally gather the courage to tell my best friend of three years, you don't even listen either!" Mina yelled. "I know for a fact that I'm not insane!"

Momo stayed silent. "Fine...All right, fine. Let's say that there are real voices in your head. What happened?"

"I heard them telling me to kill myself. I tried to just focus on getting back home, but then it was like my body was out of my control. I ran home, grabbed a knife, and came here. I don't know why."

They all stood quietly, the only sounds heard were their shaky breaths. Since the timing was always just so convenient, Sana saw the world shift once more.

This time it was clearer. It wasn't all just briefly flashing by. She was kneeling before another kneeling woman. Seiza.

The room was dark, lit by dim candle lights. There was silence, a calming scent from the reed diffusers. Despite this, there was still a tense atmosphere.

"Minamoto."

Sana - or the woman who's death she was now living -  hesitated. "It was never supposed to go this far."

"Of course not. But it did. And now you are nothing more than a traitor."

Sana looked at her, sighing. The person before her wore deep red lipstick. She was magnificently dressed, undoubtedly upper-class. Maybe even a noble? The woman seemed to have almost bunny like teeth. She nodded towards the cup sitting right in front of Sana. There was an identical one, which the woman was now picking up.