The Summoners (T.A.S Fanfiction)

Berserkers - The Helpless Ones (2)

"Did you... save me? I see... So that's it then! I lost my chance to die... It's over... All the power I've gained from everyone has up and vanished. I feel much lighter now. There's... nothing left... I guess I'm back to square one." Oniwaka was still on the ground, staring down at the Naginata in his hand with a strange look in his eyes. After a minute Oniwaka made eye contact with me, staring at me with different emotions going through his eyes. "Hey, tell me your name, stranger."

"Oh, we haven't exchanged names. My name is Masato." I gave him a wide smile, not caring about how we were basically fighting minutes ago. It was in the past now and we got everything out in the open now.

"Masato, huh? Masato. You're just like me, aren't you? I can tell from the way you smell. We've both been forsaken by this world." I felt self-conscious when he mentioned he could tell by my smell. I tried to smell myself sneakily without drawing anyone's attention. 'It just sweat... I mean I've been moving around all day. Is it that bad? Ugh... I will take an extra long shower today.'

"You and I are alone here. Am I right? I don't know where I came from, and because of some weird magical bond, I can't leave, either. We were discarded, wandered lost, and now we must survive on our own. I'm right, aren't I?" Oniwaka was looking at me with desperate eyes, wanting to hear my answer.

"We're... the same." I nod my head slowly, seeing the way Oniwaka's eyes light up when he hears that answer. I don't know if we are the "same" but we both don't know where we came from and who we are. I guess we are forsaken.

"Is it really true? Did I finally meet someone like me? Then... You should know! You should know all about my pent-up rage! About the world that's forsaken me! About my total lack of connection to any of it! I have the right to destroy it all, to take whatever I want! I deserve it! That's my right! Everything was taken away from me from the start! What's the problem if I take it back?!" Oniwaka slammed his fist into the ground, tears in his eyes as he let out all the closed up emotions he was keeping inside of him.

"You must understand! Don't you?! Please... Please understand. I didn't know... what else to do..." His cry borders on a plea and I see a weakness deep within his eyes that wasn't there before. I walked closer to Oniwaka, kneeling when I was right in front of him. He was still crying and I slowly put a hand on his shoulder, hoping it would bring some comfort.

"That's not rage. Didn't you say earlier... That you didn't want this?" What Oniwaka feels is that which all living beings dread... The destitution of solitude. Being alone is such a scary and lonely thing....

"What..." Oniwaka was looking at me through the tears in his eyes, confused about what I was talking about. I give him an understanding smile. I could understand what he was feeling.

"You're afraid, aren't you? You feel lonely, don't you? I feel the same way. They are such horrible feelings." I could feel my eyes getting a bit tingly but I force myself not to let the feeling get to me, continuing to let my honest feelings out to Oniwaka. "When I first came to this world... I had no memories and no family to count on... I was so scared back then."

"Then why don't you hate this hellhole?! You should be destroying and pillaging like me! With that much power, you could tear this world apart if you wanted to!" Oniwaka stood up, glaring at me. I didn't react to it and calmly stood up with him as well. Even though he was a bit taller than me it felt like we were staring at each other on equal footing.

"Ryota was nice to me. He became my friend. Shiro needed me. We grew close. Kengo was lost until we teamed up." Even though the reason I gave him seem so simple and rather dumb, they were so important to me. Without them, I would be so lonely in this world. They became the things that I didn't want to lose.