Eli charged at Umi, the metal of her blade glinting in the harsh sunlight. "I'll never forgive you, Sonoda Umi!" she yelled, swiping at the other, who was easily dodging her rage induced moves. "And why is that, Eli?" Umi taunted, smirking. "For killing my sister. You're terrible!" Eli sliced at Umi, who simply moved to the left to avoid it. "So? She got in my way." Umi sent a well timed boot into the stomach of Eli, who staggered back, cursing. "Alisa was innocent, and you know it!" she roared, scowling at the still smirking Umi. "You'll never defeat me like this, Ayase Eli. You'll never defeat me at all. You will be dead before you know it." Umi stated, watching the blonde with a sadistic grin. Eli spat on the ground. "Fight me like you mean to kill me then!" she yelled, holding her sword in a defensive position. Umi drew her sword and rushed at Eli, slashing and swiping too quickly for Eli to catch up. Eli managed to push Umi away and went for the offensive, aiming lower than usual in an attempt to prevent the younger swordswoman from using her legs. Every blow was easily blocked by Umi, and she easily was able to capture Eli in a headlock, squeezing her throat tightly. Eli cried out in pain, and yelped as Umi jabbed a knife into her arm. "I'm glad you asked me to fight you like I meant to kill you, because this knife..." Umi showed the knife to a struggling Eli, holding it in a way so the coating of poison was visible in the sun. "This knife is poisoned. You will start dying pretty soon, and it will kill you if you don't drink the antidote in forty-five minutes. And only I have the antidote." Umi pushes Eli to the ground and drinks from a vial she took from her belt. "Oops! I messed up!" The blue haired laughed, not realising Eli had risen. "Die, you... you... you bitch!" Eli plunged her sword into Umi's chest, all the way to the hilt. "Gh.. ah... It looks like... I won't... see you die, then.. Kh!" Umi fell to the ground as Eli removed the sword. Eli looked wordlessly on, watching Umi die before her without any remorse whatsoever. When she was certain Umi was indeed dead, she closed the bluenette's hazel eyes after taking a long look into them, and left. She had made it back to the town, Otonoki, before she realised she couldn't feel her arms, and she had dropped her sword on the grass. Eli tried to retrieve it, but her arms hung uselessly in front of her, unable to move. Eli's eyes widened as her knees buckled, causing her to fall forwards onto the grassy verge. Thankfully, she could still see, and she cried out for help. A young woman, around Eli's age, rushed over to help her, kneeling beside her. She turned Eli around, looking into her icy blue eyes with her own emerald eyes. "You've been poisoned, haven't you, Elicchi?" Eli could not recognise that this was her closest friend, Nozomi. "Water..." Eli croaked, gasping for air. Nozomi pulled a water bottle out of her bag, and propped Eli up in her arms, and tilted her head so she wouldn't choke. She opened the cap and trickled the water gently down Eli's throat. She did this until she ran out of water, and took the bottle away, placing it back into her bag. Eli whined softly, and Nozomi wiped away a strange yellow foam mixed with blood away from the corners of Eli's mouth. "Better?" she asked. Eli could only grunt in response. "I'll take that as a yes." Nozomi replied, stroking Eli's hair in an attempt to soothe her. "Calm down, E-Elicchi." Nozomi stopped talking, knowing she had let emotion into her voice. "Calm...d-down..." Tears ran down Nozomi's face. She knew her close friend was dying, and she couldn't help. She squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to stop them, and opened them to Eli's crying face. Eli was whining and grunting weakly, and she was twitching. "That's hurting you, isn't it, Elicchi...?" Nozomi whispered, stroking Eli's hair again. "Shhh... shh... you'll feel fine soon..." she said, knowing full well that 'soon' would refer to Eli's death. "There, there, Elicchi. That's a good girl.." The two of them sat there for a few more hours in agonising pain and anguished tears, Nozomi knowing Eli wouldn't last the night. "Elicchi, soon you're going to a really nice place, right? Will you send me postcards? You'll write to me often, won't you?" she said in an attempt to soothe Eli, while watching the stars above. "I bet you'll go right there, where there are no stars, and you will shine the brightest of them all. Your beauty will be unrivalled, Elicchi. I'm jealous, I want to go with you. I want to see the world with you. Wouldn't you like that, Elicchi? Now, go, your new friends, they're waiting for you." Nozomi's eyes watched Eli closely, watching her breathing slowing down and watching ice blue eyes close for the final time, never to re-open. "You're a star, Elicchi. You're... my star." Nozomi picked up Eli's body, and carried it to the river bisecting the town. "Now, go.." she repeated, lowering Eli's body into the water. "Your services are needed."
The next night, Nozomi returned to the same spot, and smiled upon seeing a star where there were none before.