They were pushing us too far. Most of our bodies were aching and we were all panting, facing each other in endless sparring. Today seemed a little...off, though. There was a more chilling feeling than an exhausted feeling, and though we were exhausted, we were also cautious of something of the unknown. I felt a chill scamper down my spine, and my eyes widened. No, I thought as I saw an unfamiliar figure come towards us. A-Amaimon… I whimper, and unsheath my sword before jumping into the air on Haru, and tackle him plummeting into the water.
I felt something impale my leg and I gasped out, my body jerking as I pulled out one of his claws from my thigh. I resurfaced and got Haru, returning her to her world before feeling hands circle my throat, holding me up to the sky. I wheezed for breath, then felt it come out of me when I saw the world flying from me, then I tasted sand in my mouth. I stood up, wiping my mouth of the blood in my mouth. Rubbing my head, I felt a warm liquid trickle from the back of my head. Blood. I started to get woozy, and I collapsed on my knees.
“Nat!” I heard someone shout, and I raised up a hand.
“No...don’t…” I mumbled out, but heard the sharp pierce of a scream slice through the air. “Izumo…” I whimper, and start to feel tears run down my cheeks as I now see her body lying by a few rocks, her head tilted to the side, her eyes closed. “Yamete…” I whisper, feeling my moves weaken.
“Izumo!!” The voice of Shima filled the void of silence, and the thuds of his feet against the sand clattered through my mind. The grunt he gave when he was thrown into the ocean was the next sign of defeat.
“Y-Yamete.” I moan, my form still aching from the class before and the impact of the hit. I see Rin, and my eyes widen. “Yamete...Yamete...Yamete, Yamete, Yamete…” I repeat, as if those words would save my life. I see him whack Amaimon hard with his sword sheath, but instead of hearing the grunt of pain from Amiamon, I hear the shriek as I see Rin’s figure skidding along the sand, grains of earth scraping against him and stopping him when he hit a boulder.
“Yamete…” I started louder, images flooding through my head. Their cries, their whimpers, their screams as Satan tortured all of them My family. My comrades. My home. He destroyed it all. “Yamete…” I shakily yell, but I could barely hear it. I see Yukio hold out his guns, but with a flash of green, he was on the ground clutching his bloody knee. “Yamete...Yamete!” I cry, and start to unsteadily get up.
Next, I see Koko run with her sword, it changing its form each time they stroke; one time with lightning sparkling with energy; one time with fire warming and blazing over its target; one with a flood of water; and one with the crumbs of Earth. She fell to the ground after exhaustion from our harsh training and when Amaimon had slit her chest, causing her to gasp out and fall to the ground. “Yamete!” I shout, my eyes now filling with anger and...and hatred. Not again. It cannot happen. Not again.
When I see Bon run forward and start to chant, I fall on my knees, my body weak from the impact. I hear him roar in pain as a claw protruded from his arm.
“Yamete!! YAMETE!!!” I hear myself scream, the ground under me giving way as I sprout from the ground into a jump like a bud blooming into a flower. I see a golden rayed green aura around my figure, but I ignore it as I stab Amaimon in the arm, which he bellows in pain and outrage. “YAMETE!! YAMETE!! YAMETE!! Yamete...Yamete!! Yamete…” I stabbed him each time I screamed those words, my tears mixing with the blood on his face, his arms, his legs, his body.
I looked at my hands; they were bloody, scarlet tears dripping from each wound of Amaimon. My lip trembled as I stopped stabbing him, seeing he had grown unconscious. My knees buckled, and so I fell to the ground, starting to sob. Iwas no better than Satan. I had almost killed someone.Tears fell from my eyes down my cheeks, dripping from my chin to my knees as I sobbed.
“Nat...Nat…” I hear someone whisper to me, and so I look up to see Koko, who was laying next to me.
“Koko!! Koko, please!!” I shiver in relief as she smiles a little. “Shiemi! Here, quick! She has a fatal wound!” I cry out, and start to wrap bandages around her frame, tears wetting the gauze.
“Call me Koyalee… Sayanara.” She whispered. I blinked a few times, but then relaxed, smiling out of the tears I had shed.
“Alright, Koyalee.” I whisper back, and get up, seeing Shiemi start to take care of everyone. I run straight to Rin, and hold his head in my lap as I look at his wounds. “B-Baka!! Baka…” I weep, and start to tend to him, though my back and legs ached, along with my throat.
“Onee-chan, why’re you crying?” I heard him whisper, and I shook my head, wiping my eyes with my index finger.
“I’m not crying, Onii-san, I’m just yawning.” I smile a little, before squeezing his hand. “I’ll be right back.” I say to him gently, jogging to Izumo.
“Baka...Nat...why’d you...go off like that?” I heard her murmur, her typical scowl on her face.
“I-I don’t care about that! Where does it hurt the most?” I ask her, and look at her. She only winced when I pressed my hand on her neck, and so I started to heal that part as best as I could.
“Baka...Nat.” I heard her chuckle softly. I sigh a little, and then go to Konkemaru, who was also checking on everyone. After seeing his scared expression, I go to Bon, his arm getting bandaged but his breathing heavy.
“H-He got impaled with poison. I-I don’t know how to treat it, it’s different than other poisons.” I hear Shiemi explain softly, and so I nodded, taking her spot.
“G-Go with the others, I’ll take care of him.” I command. She nods, and starts to jog towards Yukio.
“Nat?” I hear Bon sputter, and I look at him with tears in my eyes. “D-Don’t talk right now, Ryuuji. Don’t strain yourself.” I instruct him, and blush as I start to murmur words as I press my hands on his chest.
“G-Gomen…” I hear him state weakly. I look at him with tears spilling down my cheeks. “B-Baka! I t-told you to stop talking! Don’t be sorry for anything Ryuuji, I don’t want you to have regrets.” I bite my lip in concentration. Damnit. I couldn’t protect him. I couldn’t protect anyone of them. I’m horrible. I should’ve taken him down when I had the chance. I shouldn’t have been weak, I scold myself. A faint glow started to bloom from Bon’s chest, and so I looked at him.
“But...I...couldn’t keep...my promise...to you.” He mumbles. Tears fill my eyes, but I let them fall down my cheeks to my chin as I swallow down a sob.
“Y-Yamete!! You’re...You’re not gonna die! I won’t let you, Ryuuji Suguro!!” I cry out, and start to focus harder, putting more energy into the healing. I look down to see a slight smile on his face, his head leaning back. “Yamete!! R-Ryuuji!! Ryuuji Suguro!! Ryuuji!!” I start to sob again, my fingers pressing against his chest. “Ryuuji!! Ryuuji, come on!!” I cry harder, and start to breath heavily as I felt my energy sap away from me. “R-Ryuuji…” I whimper, then see the glow on his chest fade, as if it was being absorbed by him. I pant as I look at him hopefully, wanting him to wake up and call me a baka, to scold me into thinking of such a thing. “...Baka…” I hear a weak, yet chastising, teasing voice rasp. I look down, and my eyes fill with happy tears.
“Ryuuji...R-ryuuji...Ryuuji!!” I wail, and when he tries to sit up, I hug him tightly, my head buried in his hair. “Ryuuji!!” I bawl, and sniffle a little, still crying into his hair. “Baka!! Baka, baka baka!!” I scold him, and gently tug on his hair each time. “D-Don’t do that to me again!” I look at him with glassy eyes. He chuckles softly, and places a slack-but comforting, warm- hand on my head, and gently flattens out my hair before letting it fall back to his side.
“I won’t. I promise.”
