Never Again

Never Again

'I can't get close to anyone else. Never again.'

- - - - - - -

'I hope I'm not too late! I hope it's still there! Oh, please let it still be there!'

A young Seira rushed down the sidewalk toward the toy shop she was so eager to get to. She had visited this place not too long ago with Manami, her best friend, and together they had admired the cute, stuffed alpaca from afar.
Manami had voiced her regrets about not having enough pocket money to purchase it, and Seira's mind naturally sparked the idea to buy it for her.
Seira liked to think of Manami as her precious little sister, and always wanted her to be as happy as possible.

That had been several days ago, and today was the big day at last. Seira had checked the day before to make sure the alpaca was still on the shelf, and she intended to buy it now on Manami's birthday.
Seira had told Manami to wait for her on a bench not too far away before she had eagerly sprinted off.

Presently, she made one final stride before reaching the store. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath, her long, amythest hair spilling out over her shoulders. Then, she straightened her back and regained her composure before pushing through the door.

She instantly made way for the familiar alpaca with the blue bow tied around its neck and lifted it into her hands as a huge smile spread across her face. She bounded up to the man at the register and handed it to him. "Can I get this, please?" She asked, her excitement bubbling over into her voice.

"Is it a gift?" The man asked kindly, amused by her vigor.

"Yes!" She replied. "It's for a birthday!"
She had been saving her allowance for a while now, waiting until something came along that she wanted to spend it on. But when Manami had shown such affection for the toy a few days ago, Seira knew instantly that she would be able to splurge if it was for her sake. Seira had spent all day yesterday scouring the sidewalks for lost change and just managed to collect enough money.

Delighted with herself for being able to accomplish her goal, Seira continued to smile brightly as the man at the register tied a pink ribbon around the alpaca before handing it back to her. She paid him all of the money she had before running out of the store. "I wonder if Manami will be happy." She whispered as she took off.

She dashed back the way she had come, heading for the bench where she had told Manami to wait for her.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blasted past her. Seira halted abruptly and had to close her eyes as small bits of debris pelted her face.

Then, the peaceful blue sky above her turned black, as though a light had been switched off.

A monster appeared. It resembled a giant fan, with dozens of large blades that sliced through the air and whatever else was in their path. A crimson mist shrouded the city, and a loud crackle of booming thunder shook the air.

"What is that?" Seira instinctively clutched the alpaca closer to her chest. "Is that the Daemonia my mom was talking about?!" She instantly recalled the things her mother had told her, had warned her about since she was five years old.
As she spoke, the monster tilted and flew off at a rapid speed, heading toward Seira's intended destination.

"Manami!"

She kicked off, running desperately against the wind. The city around her was coming apart at the hinges due to the massive winds that gusted through the buildings, overturning cars and snapping trees.
Seira managed to round the final corner, pressing herself against the wall of a building as she squinted her eyes open to find the bench she had left Manami at vacant.

"Manami! Manami?!" She screamed, holding the stuffed alpaca to her throbbing chest.

Forcing herself onward, Seira crept along the side of the building until she reached another corner, gasping aloud when she found Manami there, sitting on the ground with her hands covering her ears and tears welling in her eyes.

"Manami!"

"Seira!" Manami's frightened voice cried out when she saw her.

"Are you okay?" Seira crouched down beside her terrified friend.

"Yes, but what's with this wind? It's really creepy..."

It was then when Seira realized she was the only one who could see the Daemonia. To everyone else around her, that silently terrifying monster was nothing but wicked air.

Seira knew she had to do something, but there was no way she could fight it. She knew she would have to fight at some point in her life, but not until she was thirteen. She had not been properly trained yet. 'How am I supposed to fight it?'
She glanced down at the Tarot card her mother had told her to keep with her always, but Seira's doubts were far too high, and she knew she would probably be unable to utilize its powers.

Her mind was racing as she felt the air current begin to gain speed.

Then, the Daemonia seemed to see her, although it had no face. She felt an ominous sensation crash over her, like a lame rabbit that had been spotted by a ravenous lion.
It took less than a second before a powerful blast of air shot into her, bowling her over backward and thrusting her against the far wall of the building's garage. She was flipped upside-down as her back collided roughly with the metal, and for a second, she truly thought her spine had snapped in half as the air rushed from her lungs.
She crumpled to the ground, warm blood flowing from several wounds on the back of her head, staining her vision. The alpaca had been ripped from her grasp and lie on the ground several yards away, it's tattered pink ribbon bellowing in the furious winds.

"Seira!"

Manami stood instantly, fearful for her best friend. She tried to run to Seira's side, but just before she could take so much as two steps, a strong air current slipped beneath her feet.
It lifted her into the air as she shrieked, then it carried her off into the sky.

-
--
---

Seira never could have known that day would be the last time she would ever see Manami again.

She could still remember it so clearly.
She remembered every thought that went through her head at the time.
She could still recall every detail of the scene before her bloodstained vision as she watched her best friend be torn away from her in a single second.

'No.'

It was all she had been able to think at the time, and even now, as she looked back on that day, it was the only thing she could think.

'No.'
'No.'
'No.'

"MANAMI!"

She could still hear herself screaming that name.

But the wind never stopped.

She could still see it clearly.

The Daemonia.

The large tarp.

The cruel, metal bars.

Manami's tiny, helpless body as it was impaled onto them.

The shower of blood that had splattered onto the world below.

-
--

Seira had been rescued back then, when someone else had arrived to fight the monster, but she hardly remembered anything after that.
All she could do was stare at that little alpaca, Manami's birthday present, lying on its side, speckled in the blood of the very girl it was intended to make smile.

The same vivid, horrific scene always played out in Seira's mind whenever she laid eyes up that alpaca, even so many months later.
Yet she could never do anything else but hug it to her chest in a hopeless attempt to fool herself into thinking she could still feel Manami's warmth from it.

She could still remember how painfully fast her heart had been pounding that day, but since then, she had yet to feel her own heartbeat.
She was truly dead inside. There was nothing else to it.

'I can't get close to anyone else. Never again.' These were the words she had told herself ever since.

She would fight alongside these girls - she had to - but that did not mean she had to get close to them.

If they talked to her, she could ignore them.

If they came to her door, she could close it.

If they touched her, she could push them away.

'I can't get close to anyone else. Never again.'

That was what she had told herself.

-

Yet when Luna talked to her, she listened.

When Ginka knocked on her door, she let her in.

And when Akari held out her hand, she took it.

'What am I doing...?' A tear dripped from Seira's eye, staining the carpet of her room. 'It's just going to happen...all over again... I don't want that...'

"Damn it..." She lightly punched her dresser, clutching the alpaca tightly before loosening her grip on it, placing it back on her shelf.

Then, a knock came on her door, and she could hear their voices calling her name.

'Never again. Never again.' She told herself.

But for some reason, no matter how hard she tried, she could never stop herself.

Taking a deep breath, Seira wiped her tears.

She pressed her forehead against the soft alpaca for a moment, offering a silent prayer.

Then, she crossed her room and slowly opened the door...

- E N D