Reiko POV

What have I done.

My hands held unto my hair, shaking like a shaver. My heart was racing at speeds of light. 

This couldn't be real, yet it was.

"Waaah!"(Kamoume)

It was a the apocalypse. The bushes were riddled with fire, burnt to a charcoal black. I heard the pained yells coming out of Kamoume's mouth. Her face twisted, tears streaming. 

Her milky skin tarnished, leaving nothing but the crimson to jet black flesh, large blisters covering it. The world was falling apart. I was rooted onto the ground like an old tree, beads of sweat running down my body. 

Mrs. Moume desperately grabbed the jewelry on her neck and ripped it off. She held it tight to her chest, the gem glowed a lavender. Purple, gas-like hands formed from the gem and slowly moved towards Kamoume's injured leg. It hugged the tarred leg and suddenly the wounds started healing up. The maroon and discoloured green slightly returned back to the milky white. Mrs. Moume pulled Kamoume into an embrace, crying. 

"WHAT DID YOU DO!"(Moume)

Mrs. Moume's head twitched as she marched towards me, grabbing my hair. Her face contorted, looking like a hanya mask. Her voice was venom, her words daggers. I could only stutter, not a word being able to form. 

Looking at Kamoume's face, I felt my heart tug again, I felt my nails sinking into my palm.

I did this...

I was a monster. A hungry, selfish monster, no better than an animal in the wild.

"I- I'm sorry..."(Reiko)

My cheeks became wet with tears; I tried wiping it off with my hands.

"Please stop."(Cheryl)

Cheryl interjected, causing Mrs. Moume to turn. her head.  Mrs. Moume took in a deep breath, her anger subsiding a little. Her hand let go of the chunk of my hair.

"Please, just, it's not her fault, she wasn't herself."(Cheryl)

Cheryl was talking to Mrs. Moume, but it was all but a blur to me. Time moved onwards quickly, by the end of it all, Mrs. Moume calmed down, for the most part and Kamoume's leg was bandaged up. 

Mrs. Moume walked to me, her face calm but stern.

"Reiko, thank you for helping us, but I cannot risk anymore accidents. Do you understand?"(Moume)

I nodded my head up and down in response. Mrs. Moume went to Kamoume, holding her in a piggy back. She took Kamoume and went back to camp, leaving me alone with Cheryl. 

I was being crushed, my legs collapsed. I stared at my hand, the accursed weapon that caused all this. I felt a hand patting my back. I turned my head to see Cheryl's warm face. Her eyes looked at me empathetically, her hand gently stroking my back. As if by magic, I felt all the stress, all the feeling disappear. It was weird, I couldn't explain it but... it felt like everything that happened, didn't.

There was a moment of silence, a moment of tranquility. It felt like it went on for hours, but in reality, it was only a couple of seconds.

"it seems like we're alone again."(Cheryl)

"yea... I'm sorry... if I didn't-"(Reiko)

"you don't have to apologise."(Cheryl)

"b, but I..."(Reiko)

"Reiko listen to me, everyone makes mistakes no matter who they are. You didn't mean to hurt Kamoume right?"(Cheryl)

"yea..."(Reiko)

"Thought so. Reiko, if you really feel sorry, you have to do better from now on. It's gonna be hard, but it's ok, because I will always be here, okay?"(Cheryl)

"okay..."(Reiko)

Cheryl smirked a little then got up. She grabbed my arm and helped me up. 

"Alright, no point in sitting here doing nothing."(Cheryl)

She said as she held my wrists and moved farther into the forest.

---

ptack ptack ptack

shak, shaku

It was late at night, I was biting on a piece of fruit Cheryl got for me. I felt the cool wind on my skin, it was comforting, kinda. I was feeling nervous, I didn't want to be in that world, I don't know if I can even fall asleep. Cheryl tried to ease my nerves but none of them worked. All I could do was delay the inevitable. 

Those dreams, were something else entirely. I felt the blistering pain, I heard the deathly hollow, I smelt the suffocating smoke. Everyday getting worse and worse, and now, even thinking about it got me to shiver. Yet I have to try something, I don't have Mr. Kite's medicine to help anymore....

shak, shaku shaku

I took a bite and then another and then another. It was all I could do, bite then bite then bite. 

"Hey kid, fancy meeting you here."(Kite)

My ears immediately perked as I heard a familiar voice. My eyes opened as I dropped the fruit. I saw him again, in his dark grey trench coat. His chipped blade inside his sheathed, his belt containing a half empty vile and a small bag. 

My eyes focused on the vile, like a hawk to its prey, should I ask him for it? No, no, control yourself.

"oh, uh, uhm, h- hello, m- mr. Kite... w- what are you doing h- here?"(Reiko)

"I should be asking the same thing."(Kite)

Mr. Kite chuckled as he sat next to me. 

"Also I forgot to say this, but hello to you too, mysterious woman."(Kite)

"Hello, my name is Cheryl, nice to meet you."(Cheryl)

 "cheryl... I see, it's nice to meet you, Cheryl."(Kite)

Mr. Kite extended his hand and Cheryl shook it as a single bead of sweat went down her left temple. She wore a nervous grin and chuckled a little.

My teeth sunk into the fruit again, letting the sweetness coat my tongue.

"Say, Cheryl, if it's not rude to ask but, why didn't you show yourself until yesterday?"(Kite)

Cheryl's expression changed, her brows furrowed; she was biting her lip. She was tapping her fingers on her lap and a big water drop formed on the back of her head. Wait no.... am I getting high on this fruit?¹The Republic of Cheryl denies any accusations of giving substances to a minor.

"Ah, sorry, you don't have to say anything."(Kite)

Mr. Kite said, I haven't mentioned this but, Mr. Kite's voice was strange. It was raspy and deep yet it had a clean, toned feeling to it. 

"Well to answer your question, the camp is not that far from here. Heh, quite a coincidence isn't it."(Kite)

I felt my body shake a little, the thing I wished would not happen did. I wanted to be as far away from them as possible not be a walk away from them... 

Noticing me, Mr. Kite smiled and said

"No need to worry kid, just moved that way and you won't meet them. I wouldn't recommend going anywhere else, considering that the-y... aren't in the best mood to see you."(Kite)

Mr. Kite pointed towards a tree with blue leaves and an evergreen trunk. I stared at the tree, as if there was a giant bug crawling up my back, I shiver. My eyes blankly stared at it. I should go, shouldn't I... that's what I thought, but I didn't move, not that I couldn't but, I didn't want to.

"Reiko~ come on snap out of it."(Cheryl)

Cheryl snapped her fingers and whispered into my ear, waking me up from my daydream. Or would it be night dreaming? Wait... if it's daydreaming in night then it should be noon dreaming! ²she's high - Statera, agreed - Inordinatio  

"By the way, is there any civilization nearby here?"(Cheryl)

"Besides the one we're going to, no, not that I recall of..."(Kite)

Mr. Kite paused for a second staring at the sky. Was there something above? No... only the moon...

"Ah sorry, I have to go, goodbye."(Kite)

W- wait... was what I was about to say but my lips didn't move.

Mr. Kite said as he rushed away; waving goodbye. Strange, Mr. Kite usually does nothing but training. Maybe they gave him a job to do during night time... 

Mr. Kite disappeared into the bushes. I sat down taking another bite of my fr- oh, never mind, I ate it all. Should I get another fruit to eat? Even if my stomach was full, I think I can eat another one. 

"excuse me, Cheryl, do you have anymore fruits?"(Reiko)

"Why of course! Come eat as many as you want!"(Cheryl)

Cheryl said, bringing a mountain of fruit. There were a buffet of fruits, some green some spiky and others that looked downright poisonous. 

"uhm, Cheryl... are all these safe to eat?"(Reiko)

"Of course! I wouldn't give lil' Reiko anything dangerous would I?"(Cheryl)

Hearing this, I picked up a small fist sized fruit. It was soft and squishy, lavender in colour with violet polka dots. My teeth ripped through the skin easily, like cutting paper with scissors. The juices exploded in my mouth and

"bleh..."(Reiko)

I don't like it... it's bitter and tastes like blood. It tastes like bitter blood. ³why does she know the taste of blood!? - worried Cheryl

"Don't like that one?"(Cheryl)

Cheryl asked as I wiped the taste off of my tongue. I shook my head 'no'. I picked up a second fruit, this time it was a yellow orange, pear shaped fruit. The rind was thick, making me bite a chunk off and spit it out. It was very citrusy, like maybe an orange or a grapefruit, with a little bit of lemon in it. It was nice and juicy, it would have been amazing if it was summer.

Quiet whispers of the night passed by my ear with me enjoying the snack. 

"SCREAHHH"(creature)

Out of nowhere a screeching, rough sound echoed. It was like a mix of a car coming to halt and a tyrannosaur. My eardrums pounded from the sound, forcing me to hold my ears shut. It was alien, like the sound of a walliopter except louder, scratchier and furthermore, angrier.

"what was that?"(Reiko)