Chapter 07A: Reconciliation – Flashback Of The Past (Perspective: Alma)
How did this happen? This assignment was meant to be a simple one. So how did we get into this mess?
"Gahhh!" A man with red dreadlocks yelps as a fist is pushed directly into his face.
"SHUREN!" I scream, I can't move my body. My voice is the only thing left in me that has any strength.
Before us is a girl who is no older than me with long brown hair, and purple eyes. She is wearing a white one piece dress that reaches to her knees with matching boots that cover almost the rest of her legs.
"Hand over Voynich-Caduceus," She demands.
"Ha ha ha," Shuren is breathing heavily, I was careless and got myself hit with a surprise attack that has left me in a half paralysed state. Shuren has been doing his best to protect me whilst fighting this girl at the same time. "NEVER!" He screams as he rushes at the girl.
"SHUREN!" I scream once more, there is no way he can beat her alone. And yet he still charges straight at her.
Several Anomalies of varying appearances appear at the call of Shuren's Soul Slayer. They each attack the girl together.
However, "Worthless," she says as a huge flame pillar shoots out from her hand as if it has a life of its own. All the Anomalies are engulfed within it. Shuren has to dive to one side to avoid it himself.
"Shit!" He curses as he grinds his back teeth and tries to get back on his feet, "GUHHH!" In a flash, from within the smoke of the flames, the girl had rushed at Shuren and pinned him down to the ground.
"No," Using Gungnir-Mjölnir as a walking stick I force myself back up and slowly edge forward. I have already lost my sister to an Anomaly, I refuse to lose Shuren as well.
"Gahhh!" Shuren looks at me as if to ask what am I doing. The girl too seems to notice me. Then suddenly, another Anomaly appears, it looks like something akin to a two headed griffin. The griffin uses one of it's heads and grabs Shuren's Soul Slayer Voynich-Caduceus "What the!?" The girl exclaims as the griffin turns around and runs towards me.
"Huh!? Hey what are you!?" The griffin uses it's other head and takes a firm hold of me as it begins to flap it's wings.
"You think I'll let you escape!" The girl suddenly forces herself off of Shuren and redirects her attention to me. "URGH! Let go!" Shuren quickly grabs her wrist and holds her in place. I then realise what it is he intends to do as the griffin takes flight.
"NOOOOO SHUREN!" I squirm from within the griffin's mouth. The red headed youth simply smiles without saying a word.
"I said let go!" The girl exclaims as static flows through her fist,
"URGHHHH!" She forces her fist right into the centre of Shuren's chest, blood gurgles out of his mouth and his body slowly falls limp onto the hard ground.
"No..." I cannot stop the heavy droplets of water from escaping my eyes, "NOOOOOO!" My scream echoes through the silent night. The griffin and I fly further and further away. My tears continue flowing as Shuren slowly disappears from my sight.
The next day the church retrieved the body of the man who was like a brother to me, and a lover to my deceased sister. I had lost another important person, to another Anomaly. I was helpless to do anything but watch.
Nor was I able to do anything for the girl who was Shuren's biological sister whom I had to personally break the bad news to. It may have been just a way for me to let it go, but I wanted her to blame me for what happened. But she never did, she didn't display any emotion whatsoever regarding her brother's death.
My life has been one failure after another, yet I always continued to live. Why?
I cannot help but ponder this as my conscious slowly fades.
"ARGGHH!!" Where am I? A bed? I see. It was just a dream. I wipe the cold sweat from my face.
"Are you awake, Alma?" I turn to the concerned voice, it's Alicia.
Chapter 07B: Reconciliation – Heart To Heart (Perspective: Alicia)
"How do you feel?" I ask. Unlike me and Elizabeth who are Reapers and thus have a quick recovery rate, Alma is a regular human even if she does wield a Soul Slayer.
After the battle we were taken to the infirmary, luckily the nurse wasn't in. Yuichi had proclaimed that if they were, that he was going try his hand at being a hypnotist. The scary thing is, I can really see him doing something like that.
"It's nothing I can't put up with." She replies.
"I see..." I'm relieved to hear that
"..." An awkward silence. Come on Alicia just work up your courage and say what you have wanted to say since way back then. "Alma..." She turns to face me.
"I'm so truly sorry. About back then, I know words cannot make anything better but," I can't hold back my tears, "I never meant for that to happen. After all these years I know that whatever I may say will only come over as an excuse but. I truly do regret what I did."
"..." Another awkward silence Alma has kept her eyes closed throughout my confession, she finally opens them. She gets up and out of her bed. “Follow me, Alicia.”
I do as requested and follow a few paces behind Alma back up to the roof, classes have already restarted. I can see the scars of the previous battle against Kiri Sasu. I had placed a special talisman to prevent normal people from entering until we have time to restore the roof to how it was. As such, for normal people, the roof is currently a no entry zone.
“Why did you bring me here.” I ask.
“It's simple,” Alma enters a battle stance, “No Soul Slayer, no scythe, no Reaper Techniques. Alicia, fight me. We're going to settle our differences here and now!!”
“Alma...” I too get into a self defence stance. “If this is the only way.”
“It is...” Despite her earlier injuries Alma's body springs to life. “Here I come!!”
Alma and I charge at each other, with no scythe or Soul Slayer this is purely a hand to hand fight.
I thrust my fist aiming for her stomach, Alma blocks with an arm, spins on her pivot foot and high kicks towards my face. I duck below the attack and swipe her pivot foot with my own. Alma jumps backwards off on a single foot whilst arching her back, she uses her hands to push off the ground and throws her body back at me. I jump to one side before Alma's feet can connect.
Alma throws punches in a one, two, three rhythm before throwing a kick. I guard every attack but I am being forced back. “IT WAS BECAUSE YOU WERE THERE!! THE CHIMERA WAS DRAWN TO YOU!!” Tears flow down Alma's face. Her blows increase in intensity as she lays bare her feelings. “WHY DID NEE-SAMA HAVE TO DIE!?” A hard blow pushes my body back numerous steps. Alma having created some distance after forcing me back takes a short run up and jump kicks towards me.
“URGH!!” I block the attack like all the others but the impact still hurts.
“WHY ALICIA!!?” She shouts as she returns to her punch and kick combos.
I cannot take this one sided assault any more. I grit my teeth and block Alma's kick. I switch to the offensive and strike with my own fist, Alma blocks it with her arm though. “DO YOU THINK I WANTED THAT TO HAPPEN!!?” I shout out my own feelings as Alma grits her teeth and blocks my onslaught of punches. More tears roll down my face with every word I scream. “YOU SAID THAT I BROUGHT THAT CHIMERA!! MAYBE I DID!! BUT EVEN WITHOUT ME THERE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN DRAWN TO YOUR SOUL SLAYER!! WHETHER I WAS THERE OR NOT THAT CHIMERA WOULD HAVE FOUND ITS WAY TO NADIA-SAN!!” Alma is momentarily shocked at my declaration and my fist finds its way into her face.
“URGHH!!” She yelps whilst glaring at me. Alma wipes the blood from her burst lip with her wrist before charging at me again.
“YOU CAN THROW AS MANY WHAT IF SITUATIONS AS YOU WANT!! BUT THAT DOES NOT CHANGE THE REALITY!! NEE-SAMA DIED AGAINST A CHIMERA ANOMALY THAT WAS DRAWN TO YOU!!” I place my arms in a cross in front of my face ready for Alma's fist.
“GUHH!!” I gasp, Alma had thrown a punch with both arms, I guarded the one aimed at my face, but the other hit into my gut. She created a feint. Using my moment of weakness Alma jump kicks at me again. “GRUUUGHHH!!” With no time to set up a proper guard I am sent skidding backwards across the roof. With my legs shaking slightly I get back to my feet. Alma too takes several laboured breathes. We are both exhausted after exchanging blows for so long. We're both still recovering from the previous assault as well.
I tightly clench my fist as does Alma. We gaze sharply at each other, our bodies are exhausted thus the end is near. We both charge at each other once again, I've forsaken defence and am just going to put all my power into this punch.
“IT'S OVER ALICIA!!”
“WHY DO YOU REFUSE TO SEE THE TRUTH!!?”
We both shout as our fists sore through the air, neither of us attempts to guard or dodge. The feelings we put into our respective attacks, shall be taken directly into our bodies.
“”URGGHHHH!!”” We simultaneously smash our fists into each other's cheeks. the impact forces both of us skidding along on our feet. Our legs refusing to give up with harsh steps we each shuffle towards each other, our physical strength is spent, all that remains is our spirits. We stand before each other once more about four metres separates us. It is then that our bodies reach their ends, at the same time our legs keel forward and we fall towards each other.
Our bodies lie parallel to each other. A few silent moments pass before I hear a quiet voice.
"I knew, Alicia,” I turn with what little strength I have to face Alma's crying face. “I've known for a long time. You never wanted that to happen, and it wasn't your fault that it happened."
"Eh?"
“Nee-sama didn't die because of just that Chimera Anomaly. It was because I was there.”
“Alma...”
“Yet I conveniently forgot that fact and laid all the blame on you just so I could come to terms with it. I didn't want to feel the weight of my own sin, so I forced it all on you.” Alma's tears continue. “If I wasn't there, would Nee-sama have made such a decision?” Alma shook her head at her own rhetorical question. “I didn't want Shuren to hate me, so I couldn't come to terms with the truth of Nee-sama's death. It wasn't that she was against a Chimera Anomaly, it was because I was there. I became the noose around here neck.”
“Alma, you blaming me wasn't entirely baseless. That night, Nadia-san did not die protecting just you. But me as well...”
We both stare into each others eyes as tears continue down our faces. The weight of Nadia-san's death shall no longer be on just one of our shoulders, we shall carry it for our lives together.
“Alicia...I'm...sorry...for everything...” Alma holds out her hand towards me.
“Me...too...” I stretch my own hand and thread my own fingers through Alma's. After seven torturous years I feel I have finally reconnected with my old friend.
“But was it really necessary for us to fight each other?”
"I was inspired by something Shiori once told me. She told me about a certain kouhai of hers whom was usually nothing but a narcissistic trouble maker that cheered her up in the most unorthodox way possible. He forced her into a situation where she vented all here negative feelings onto him." Alma explains. “I thought this was the best way to let everything out in the open.”
That kouhai, could it have been?
Just as I am thinking that the roof door opens. Wait who could that be? There should still be a barrier set up. The one whom steps through the door is my fiancé, Yuichi.
“Alicia, what kind of cat fight was that? Where was the scratching, the ripping of each others clothes etcetera. Only martial arts buffs would get turned on by this video!!” It is then I feel a twinge of anger enter my body as Yuichi presses the playback button on his phone.
Despite my exhaustion power returns to my body as I materialise my scythe. “Uh wait Alicia, you're making a seriously scary face right now.”
“It's just your imagination.” I state with a fake smile as I edge closer, Yuichi sweating bullets with every step.
“DIE!!!”
“FORGIVE ME!!!!”
Yuichi's screams mark the epilogue of my reconciliation with Alma
