Chapter 137: "And The World Kept On Turning"
CLANG!
BZZT!
Saeja performed a backflip off of her opponent's stomach. It was exciting to do battle in the middle of a city with so many onlookers. "Let's show him what we're made of, Shinji!" She whispered proudly to her sword.
"Not bad!" Travis commended. "I love it when a woman can kick my ass!"
"Oh, did you want me to fight seriously?" She laughed playfully, swinging her arm behind her. She accidentally decapitated one of the members of the audience. Everyone backed away, gasping in terror.
"Sorry about that!" Saeja apologized quickly, confident that she would somehow tape him back together when the battle was over.
Travis deftly evaded her strike and slid around to her side. He then took her from behind with both arms and performed a German suplex.
Thud! Saeja hit the pavement with enough force to knock the wind from her lungs. Everything began to warp around her. She could hear people in the audience cheering and howling.
"Sae! Sae!!"
One of them even seemed to know her name.
"Sae! What are you doing?!"
As she came to, dread tied her stomach in a knot. Stopping for a street fight may not have been the best idea after all.
She felt something thud against her forehead, and her greatest fear was realized. A crunchy snack rolled across the ground next to her ear.
Saeja couldn't bring herself to open her eyes. "Maybe she'll think I've died," she thought. But the bear strategy never worked against her before, so she was doubtful that it would see any success now.
Holding her breath, Saeja peeked through her eyelashes. A familiar sight was dangling before her face.
"What the hell is this?!" Ema demanded. She didn't sound happy at all, though it probably would have been weird if she had. Still, in a way, Saeja felt relieved by her response.
Travis tapped his shoulder with the handle of his beam katana. "So are we finished or what?"
Ema glared at him with a paralyzing venom in her eyes, and Travis backed his way into the crowd. She waved the sheet of paper in Saeja's face once more, as though she hadn't made a point the first time. "Why did I wake up to this? 'It's been fun. See you again if it's meant to be!'?!"
"I wrote 'Love, Sae <3' at the bottom!!" Saeja spoke loudly, though she realized her argument wasn't the strongest.
"You were just going to leave me behind?!" Ema was obviously trying to keep herself from crying, but it just gave her an awkward expression.
Saeja, who had sat up only seconds before to make her rebuttal, was on her back yet again. She sighed, letting her worries drift up to heaven. She didn't know if an answer would come back down. "I just don't know what... to feel."
"What are you talking about, you idiot?!" Ema gripped her by the wrist and pulled her to her feet. She made sure to clamp her hands on her shoulders so she couldn't escape if she tried. All of her aura must have been focused in her hands, too, because Sae couldn't even struggle for fear of losing an arm. "Listen, a lot of things are science. A lot of things even I don't understand. But you can't just run away from this, Sae! Love isn't science! Either it is or it isn't...! There are no formulas!"
Saeja's eyes found the ground. "...I never said anything about science though..."
Ema shook her. "Do you or don't you?!"
"Do... I...?"
"Because I love you, Sae! I can't help it, I do! I always have!!" Ema couldn't force her tears back at this point. The top of her shirt was drenched. Saeja felt her cold tears like ice running down her neck as Ema embraced her with everything she had left. "And if you don't then... whatever! It doesn't change how I feel! Nothing ever could!!"
Saeja felt a crushing pressure on her chest, but it was there long before Ema had ever showed up. Her lips were dry. Why did she have to do this now...?
"Just... please, just tell me how you feel, Saeja...! Just talk about how you feel for once! I'm begging you!!"
"Ema, I... I..."
It seemed like perhaps her audience had grown. Their judging eyes certainly weren't making things any easier. Their murmurs created a buzz in her mind that threatened to drive her insane. The words just kept echoing louder and louder and louder and louder. Ema, why did you have to be this way??
Ema loosened her grasp, and Saeja broke free with a shove. She didn't mean to, but her flight response was kicking in double-time and she lost control. "I'm sorry, but I just don't know! I don't know how I feel!!"
Her mind and heart had a brief struggle, and in the end Saeja turned and ran as fast as she could.
Ema watched as she disappeared into the crowd. She dove into the very same train car that she emerged from way back then. It was as if her life was playing in reverse.
As the train left the station, she could feel it pulling her heart from her chest as it went. In such a short time, nothing was left. She had nothing left.
People mumbled over what they had seen, but no one offered her their words. They moved on, doing their own daily routines. Ema's face smiled, though she didn't want it to. She didn't want to smile; there was nothing to be happy about. Just a few hours ago, she felt that they together were the only two people in the whole world who mattered. That if one of them ever disappeared, the world would suddenly cease to be.
But the world was a cruel, bitter place, and it continued to spin on its axis.
BZZT!
Saeja performed a backflip off of her opponent's stomach. It was exciting to do battle in the middle of a city with so many onlookers. "Let's show him what we're made of, Shinji!" She whispered proudly to her sword.
"Not bad!" Travis commended. "I love it when a woman can kick my ass!"
"Oh, did you want me to fight seriously?" She laughed playfully, swinging her arm behind her. She accidentally decapitated one of the members of the audience. Everyone backed away, gasping in terror.
"Sorry about that!" Saeja apologized quickly, confident that she would somehow tape him back together when the battle was over.
Travis deftly evaded her strike and slid around to her side. He then took her from behind with both arms and performed a German suplex.
Thud! Saeja hit the pavement with enough force to knock the wind from her lungs. Everything began to warp around her. She could hear people in the audience cheering and howling.
"Sae! Sae!!"
One of them even seemed to know her name.
"Sae! What are you doing?!"
As she came to, dread tied her stomach in a knot. Stopping for a street fight may not have been the best idea after all.
She felt something thud against her forehead, and her greatest fear was realized. A crunchy snack rolled across the ground next to her ear.
Saeja couldn't bring herself to open her eyes. "Maybe she'll think I've died," she thought. But the bear strategy never worked against her before, so she was doubtful that it would see any success now.
Holding her breath, Saeja peeked through her eyelashes. A familiar sight was dangling before her face.
"What the hell is this?!" Ema demanded. She didn't sound happy at all, though it probably would have been weird if she had. Still, in a way, Saeja felt relieved by her response.
Travis tapped his shoulder with the handle of his beam katana. "So are we finished or what?"
Ema glared at him with a paralyzing venom in her eyes, and Travis backed his way into the crowd. She waved the sheet of paper in Saeja's face once more, as though she hadn't made a point the first time. "Why did I wake up to this? 'It's been fun. See you again if it's meant to be!'?!"
"I wrote 'Love, Sae <3' at the bottom!!" Saeja spoke loudly, though she realized her argument wasn't the strongest.
"You were just going to leave me behind?!" Ema was obviously trying to keep herself from crying, but it just gave her an awkward expression.
Saeja, who had sat up only seconds before to make her rebuttal, was on her back yet again. She sighed, letting her worries drift up to heaven. She didn't know if an answer would come back down. "I just don't know what... to feel."
"What are you talking about, you idiot?!" Ema gripped her by the wrist and pulled her to her feet. She made sure to clamp her hands on her shoulders so she couldn't escape if she tried. All of her aura must have been focused in her hands, too, because Sae couldn't even struggle for fear of losing an arm. "Listen, a lot of things are science. A lot of things even I don't understand. But you can't just run away from this, Sae! Love isn't science! Either it is or it isn't...! There are no formulas!"
Saeja's eyes found the ground. "...I never said anything about science though..."
Ema shook her. "Do you or don't you?!"
"Do... I...?"
"Because I love you, Sae! I can't help it, I do! I always have!!" Ema couldn't force her tears back at this point. The top of her shirt was drenched. Saeja felt her cold tears like ice running down her neck as Ema embraced her with everything she had left. "And if you don't then... whatever! It doesn't change how I feel! Nothing ever could!!"
Saeja felt a crushing pressure on her chest, but it was there long before Ema had ever showed up. Her lips were dry. Why did she have to do this now...?
"Just... please, just tell me how you feel, Saeja...! Just talk about how you feel for once! I'm begging you!!"
"Ema, I... I..."
It seemed like perhaps her audience had grown. Their judging eyes certainly weren't making things any easier. Their murmurs created a buzz in her mind that threatened to drive her insane. The words just kept echoing louder and louder and louder and louder. Ema, why did you have to be this way??
Ema loosened her grasp, and Saeja broke free with a shove. She didn't mean to, but her flight response was kicking in double-time and she lost control. "I'm sorry, but I just don't know! I don't know how I feel!!"
Her mind and heart had a brief struggle, and in the end Saeja turned and ran as fast as she could.
Ema watched as she disappeared into the crowd. She dove into the very same train car that she emerged from way back then. It was as if her life was playing in reverse.
As the train left the station, she could feel it pulling her heart from her chest as it went. In such a short time, nothing was left. She had nothing left.
People mumbled over what they had seen, but no one offered her their words. They moved on, doing their own daily routines. Ema's face smiled, though she didn't want it to. She didn't want to smile; there was nothing to be happy about. Just a few hours ago, she felt that they together were the only two people in the whole world who mattered. That if one of them ever disappeared, the world would suddenly cease to be.
But the world was a cruel, bitter place, and it continued to spin on its axis.