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She Was Right

She had not been feeling well all day. It was almost as if her head, her whole body, were about to fall apart. Sherry shook her head and tried to concentrate. Due to the average leverage, adding the total mass, times the speed, and accounting for 15.5% resistance... the total...the total...Her mind just couldn't let her think! Why so? Hadn't she been perfectly fine the day before? And yet today, of all days, her body had to be rendered into such a condition.

Sweat broke out from her forehead. Sherry pulled aside her hair and tried once more to concentrate on the present task. She reached into her white lab coat pocket and took out her watch. The watch her onne-san gave her. It read two fifty-eight. Shiho smiled sadly. What a fool she had become, and what more, a slave! How grim reality was for her, working in a lab like this day in and day out. Her sister was right all along.

Shiho reluctantly placed her fingers on the keyboard.

Life must go on, Shiho, Anokata is waiting for his numbers...and, you can't let your labmates see you like this, sweating all over, so pitiful like this...like...

Shiho once more faced the computer screen.

...But the numbers, the data, I can't make out what they are...

Shiho felt her body burn all over as the hours of constant work took its toll upon her body. Her vision seemed to fade and the dim glow of the lab lights into haloes. This was getting a little too unbearable. Her head weighed down, almost as if it would slam upon the desk. Shiho spread her hands to keep her balance. What is wrong with me?Why isn't my body letting me... Grasping the edges of her desk, Sherry managed to lift her body up, and onto her feet. Several loose lab papers scattered off their place and fell on the floor. She convinced herself that she would hold the data calculations temporarily, and return to her room. Perhaps a nap, a thirty minute nap would help.

Making her way into the hall, Shiho's body was half bent over as if she was about to fall forward, and half against the wall, the only object keeping her upright. Fortunately her room, assigned to her when she first began working for the organization, was not far from her lab. Anakota had categorized her as "Rank A3" which allowed her to have a smaller lab shared with ten others with the same ranking, as well as a room close to her lab. But at this rate, getting to her own room seemed impossible. With her body not permitting her to take civilized steps, but rather a poor sequence of staggering gaits, her room, which was only a mere ten feet away, seemed miles farther.

Each step was more grueling than the previous. She usually pale figure had become flushed crimson from head to toe with sweat covering the skin. Every muscle and ligament attempted to hold together as her limbs quivered unsteadily. Her vision began to blur more now to the point she could barely make out her surroundings. And then, neither would her mind allow her to concentrate and think sanely as it usually could.

That was when her body gave in. The poor limbs, tired of their job, let loose. Her body must have jolted over as if she was a drunk, and swung towards the wall because she felt the rough thump as her skull clashed against the unforgiving structure. It all happened too rapidly for her to respond. The resulting shock was too much for the frame, and her legs clipped inwards, subsequently taking down the rest of her body with it. Shiho let out a piercing groan. It sounded most horrific, and the eerie cry sounded down the empty hall. Seconds after the moment of impact, she had not felt the pain through numbness, but now, as she regained slight consciousness, there was an immediate injection of pain.

Her skull! Through her dizziness she felt the trenchant pain, cutting like knives through the back of the head. Blood... She felt it ooze warmly down her neck, and then soak into her lab coat collar. But hadn't she merely hit the wall? A concussion was probable, but blood? And her arms and her legs, had they hit the wall too? She could see the scrapes that lined her forearm and her thigh. Once again she let out a groan. The pain, it was too much. Had she the ability she would have hid her pain and shut her mouth tight, but her lips refused. She must have groaned again and again, and writhed in pain. This was her body, expressing its grievances without her consent. Baka Shiho... if someone hears me...and finds me in this state...

But her caution was made too tardy. Down the hall she could hear steps already making its way up behind her. It was not in a hurry, but certainly was coming in her direction. Who...Who? The steps... they come towards me relentlessly...

Who...Who? The steps... they come towards me relentlessly...

"Humph, I never imagined to see you out this pathetically."

It was a familiar snickering voice that resounded in her mind and sent a chill down her spine. Gin.The wretch! Had he come to taunt her now?

The voice continued from behind her. "To see your face writhed in pain, so weak...so defenseless. It's amusing."

The bastard!With the little strength she had, she mustered her will and turned her neck so she could face her tormentor. Shiho cracked a challenging look towards him.

"Defiance, huh?" The tall man chuckled to himself, "Yes, pure defiance. I like that. But it's no use to try so hard. Your weaknesses, I have witnessed them. Just strolling to make sure you were doing what you were supposed to when I saw your pitiful self, stooped over the lab desk, perspiring and gasping for air. A typical you, obstinate in your ways. It was nothing less than entertaining." There was a curl in his thin lips as he spoke.

"So," Shiho's voice was barely audible, "You knew all along of my state." She once more gasped for oxygen as she attempted to hide her pain.

"Ha. Yes. And I let you have your way, watching you from afar to see your next moves. I guessed you might have retreated to your room, but never would I have guessed that you'd collapse in such a wimp manner and cry out like a child. Different than the Sherry we usually see, isn't it?"

The taunting was inhumane treatment towards Shiho's already weakened mind. That's his goal isn't it? To debilitate my ability to put up a defence, to weary my will.

"I wish to be left alone." Sherry finally announced from her quivering lips, clenching her teeth together. The pain had not subsided in the slightest way and she was still losing much blood. This induced lightheadedness, causing her to be on the verge of passing out.

"Ha, you wish? You still maintain your aloof ways don't you? Would you prefer Vermouth to tend to your wounds? Or rather Anokota to find your blood profaning his walls?" The man whipped his hair around sharply as he quickly grabbed onto Sherry's bloody collar. Shiho hung limp an his clutches, without energy to fight back. Her neck was carelessly jutted to the side and her face with it. "Yes, your blood," Gin smirked approvingly as he observed the heavy flow of blood pouring from the place of impact, "it's a beautiful scarlet, a glimmering river of life that leaves you quickly." He sneered once more at the powerless figure. He examined the red that now covered most of the coat, and spattered over Sherry's auburn hair. Her legs which were dangling like a puppets began to swell, as the remaining blood in her body could not make its way upwards. He liked how crumpled, exhausted, and limp they were; how the woman's face was dark, fallen to the side. This rigid member had gone cold. For once there was no fight in her expression.

"Please."

The word came softly from Shiho's lips. It was her last chance to be freed from the tyrant. Why am I giving in? Why? Doshite? Had I not promised to Onne-san I'd be strong?

The man suddenly smirked a crooked smile, almost satisfied with her sudden response. "What was that? A surprising remark! But you spoke a little too softly for my ears to hear. Care to repeat yourself Sherry?" His eyes once more taunted her with some sort of malevolent power as he tightened his grip on her collar.

"Please."

Shiho gasped once more as she barely lifted her head towards the diabolical creature who now wore a testing grin.