Panted breaths mingled with the cold air. Under the moonless night, the moving bodies of two running girls were well hidden among the trees. The younger of the two—purple hair messily tied into two pigtails—was leading. The other girl grasped her hand tightly, pale hair masked under the darkness and dirt. To let go now would mean to get separated, and with their captors surely pursuing them, such a result could hardly be afforded.
Panic shot up both of them as the sounds of men shouting started up behind them, although the leading girl hid her fear far better than her companion. The two continued to flee, taking advantage of the undergrowth to try and hide their trail. And yet, despite their best efforts, the shouts never faded away. Worse still, they seemed to be gaining on them with every passing minute. If they did not reach other forest edge soon, there was no doubt their escape attempt would fail.
The younger girl turned to face her friend, an encouraging smile hiding her growing fear. "I guess you'll have to go on without me, I'll try to hold them off."
Immediately, the older teenager protested, knowing full well the consequences that awaited her friend if she got caught.
Ignoring her, the lilac-haired girl continued, "keep running, I'm sure you'll get out of these woods soon. I promise I'll catch up with you when I'm done with them."
The promise was an obvious lie—the both of them knew that. The chances of her surviving a fight against a group of armed men were nigh zero, and once more the girl tried to voice her disagreement.
"Look," the frown on her companion's face was enough to silence the older girl, "they'll be here any second now, and it's better me than the both of us." Here she stopped running, releasing her hold on the other's hand before giving her another smile. "Just go, okay? Don't turn back, no matter what you hear." Without waiting for an answer, she turned her back on the distressed girl, swallowing her fear to face the oncoming nightmare.
And still the older girl hesitated to leave her behind, stopping a short way off with the intention of returning.
"I said to keep going!" The shout was flecked with anger, and she knew better than to delay. Tears streaming down her dirty face, the teenaged plunged into the undergrowth alone, silently praying that her friend would be safe.
"Oi, Aria! If you intend to do this without official orders, then at least stay focused before a patrol catches us."
The woman in question shook her head, as if coming out of a dream—or in her case, a nightmare. The memory of that particular day had relentlessly attacked her from the time she was saved by a group of soldiers camping on the border of the forest up until now. It mattered not whether she was awake or sleeping, so long as her mind was not preoccupied, it would always find a way to come back and haunt her.
"Geez, you're crying. Were you thinking about her again?" The man continued to trudge alongside her, eyes keeping a lookout while still worrying for his friend.
"Yeah, sorry…" Aria sighed as she used the sleeve of her uniform to wipe away the tears. "It's kind of hard not to think of her when I'm walking through where I last saw her."
He did not say anymore, but simply nodded and focused instead on trying to pick out any movements from among the trees.
The two of them were back in the forest, now heading deeper into the heart of it rather than out of it. Aria had originally intended to steal out of camp alone on her self-appointed mission, but her friend had caught up and tried to talk sense into her. When it was obvious she was adamant on her decision, he decided to go along with her to provide a form of backup.
In an attempt to ensure his comrade from falling into another trance-like dream, the man decided to start another conversation. "You said she's younger than you, right?"
A fond smile graced Aria's lips at the question. "Yes, by a whole three years, in fact."
"That would make her…" A quick calculation was done in his head, "what, seventeen this year? Kinda funny since it's normally the older one who protects the younger one."
The statement was not resented, as a matter of fact, what he said only brightened the smile on her face. "I know. Yukari has always been the mature and protective one out of the two of us. It might have to do with her having been in that hellhole for a year more than me."
It was true, from the moment she had been forced into becoming a child soldier, Yukari had made it a point to be her ever-watching guardian. The younger girl had faithfully protected her both in combat and out of combat situations. At first Aria had resented the girl's help, but then she realized the both of them needed each other as a form of emotional support in such a desperate situation. Thereafter she returned the favour, watching out for the girl just as much as the other did.
"I'm curious, I heard that you were in there for more than a year, why decide to escape only after so long?"
"That was Yukari's decision actually. The two of us were getting along just fine until she found out I was put on the list for a suicide mission. She instantly made up her mind that we needed to get out of there that night."
He would have questioned her some more, had Aria not pause to look around and listen intently. She gestured to him to continue keeping silent, and he knew they were nearing the camp.
The two went on for another minute or two, with care now put into keeping absolutely quiet. And then, under the failing moonlight, they saw it. Hardly more than a ghostly shadow, a girl with violet hair crudely cut short stood among the trees as if on the lookout for something, or someone. Aria felt her breath hitch in her throat. The hairstyle was different, and she had grown taller and therefore scrawnier looking; yet there was no mistaking that hue of purple. The delight she felt bubbled up and boiled over; unable to contain her excitement, she stepped out towards the girl, ignoring the whispered warnings of the man.
Hearing the loud footsteps, the girl turned to face the intruder. Two sets of optics met, purple irises staring blankly into azure ones which were overflowing with joy. If the girl felt a similar sensation, her countenance stayed passive and betrayed no such emotion. Faced with such a strangely expressionless face, Aria's steps grew hesitant. Suddenly the girl whipped out a handgun, aiming the barrel directly at her head. The happiness previously felt was abruptly warped into confusion. Before she could react however, a round was fired, quickly followed by the reek of gunpowder.
"Ngh…" the girl collapsed onto one knee, free hand clutching her side where the bullet had found its mark. She had not expected there to be someone else among the trees, and thus paid the price for being so careless. But even with the intense pain, the girl merely gritted her teeth and made to bring her gun level with the enemy's head.
"Yukari!"
The tone was distressed, but it was neither that nor her name that disrupted her action. The voice was sweet and clear, with a familiarity that triggered something within her mind. It troubled her, and although she was aware that the person she had attempted to kill was now squatting before her, she suddenly found that she did not have the energy to do anything. A warm hand cupped her cheek, and Yukari could not suppress a surprised gasp. Memories long dead resurfaced. Her throat trembled, trying to sound again the name of the one whom she had sacrificed so much for.
"A—Aria…?" How long it had been since she last said that name! A few years must have gone by since they had parted without even saying a proper goodbye.
The other threw her arms around her neck, not withholding the tears than now flowed frankly down her cheeks. "I'm sorry! I'm really, really sorry! I never should have left you, and I took so long just to come back, I'm j—just r—real—" She could not continue, and broke down into a sobbing wreck and pressed her face into the shoulder of her long lost friend.
Yukari was dumbfounded. It had been a very long time since someone had shown so much emotion around her. The soldiers she knew of murdered anyone who showed the slightest bit of weakness, and emotion was considered one of them. The girl bit her lower lip, unsure what to do. Eventually, she wrapped her arms around the waist of the crying form, hoping it would offer some sort of comfort to her friend. "Shh… it's okay. I'm the one who told you to go, wasn't I?"
Aria's crying did not cease however, and this only served to further confuse Yukari. Crying was now so alien to her, and the only thing she could do was to hold onto her friend and listen quietly as she continued to weep.
When at last Aria's crying began to show signs of ebbing away, Yukari felt relief growing in her. The girl would have taken the chance to truly enjoy the company of someone she had long missed, but suddenly alarms sounded from a distance, reminding her of the situation they were currently in.
"Hate to disturb your reunion, but we need to go, NOW!" From somewhere behind Aria, a shout rang out.
The voice was unfamiliar, and Yukari concluded that it belonged to the person who had shot her. With Aria's safety at hand however, Yukari felt she had no time to hold grudges. "He's right, you need to get away, you know what they'll do if they get hold of the both of you."
Aria broke away from the embrace, wiping away the remaining tears. "I'm not going anywhere without you."
"Aria…" the girl almost sounded exasperated, "they won't hurt me, but if they know who you are, they're going to do more than just kill you."
The alarms were beginning to get to the man, and to say he was panicky was an understatement. "You heard her! Let's go already!" He grabbed her by the arm, intending to drag her away forcefully if need be.
Aria immediately tore her arm away out of his grip. "If you want to go, then go. I came here for Yukari, and I'm not leaving without her." Her voice dripped with more venom than necessary. Turning back to the injured girl, it resumed its usual, gentler tone. "Can you stand? I can give you a hand if need be."
Unsure, Yukari tried to push herself back onto her feet, but the blood that had lost had taken along with it her strength. Realizing this, Aria moved to her side and scooped her up in both her arms. The look of surprise on her companion's face caused a giggle to escape her lips despite the danger they were in. "Don't move too much, alright?" Without waiting for an answer, the peacekeeper turned, quickly retracing her way through the underbrush.
The man had already gone ahead. Aria did not mind however; knowing him, it was likely he had gone to get help. Holding Yukari's body close, she pushed on through the unforgiving thicket. The blood from the bullet wound was starting to soak through even her uniform, and Aria could not help but curse her comrade for being so quick to fire.
As if she had read her mind, Yukari spoke up and broke the silence, "I would have shot you, you know."
There was a fumbled pause, in which Aria stared with disbelief at her friend, who returned the gaze with eyes filled with a strange emptiness that was just as eerie as before.
"I'm sorry, but I can't actually see you, Aria; they blinded me that night. If you hadn't called out to me, I would have tried to shoot you again." It was clear from the inflection in her voice that Yukari was feeling remorseful. "Sorry…"
Aria huffed out a small sigh of relief and gave a smile. "If you meant you would have shot me despite knowing who I am, I would probably be very upset right now. But I guess even if you did kill me, it doesn't really matter that much. You've done so much for me, and the rights to my life may just belong to you."
Even though she had long learned to suppress her feelings and hide them from showing, Yukari truly could not stop her face from blushing. "Don't say that… everyone's life belongs to themselves, I did what I did only because I wanted to."
A bout of laughter was induced by such a reply. "Which is why I said 'might', but you know what, Yukari? Although you still mask your feelings very well, you're just as cute as eve—"
"I think they're over there, sir!"
The shout was heard as a passing echo, rebounding off the trees and fading away. Aria stopped abruptly, head turned to watch the trees behind. Though nothing could be discerned from the shadows, she instantly broke into a run. "Looks like we're in for trouble."
Her statement was met with complete silence from Yukari, and the running peacekeeper glanced to see that eyelids were closed over the amethyst eyes. For a moment, Aria worried that her worst fear might have come true, but the teenager suddenly let out a hushed whisper.
"Seventy-five to a hundred meters behind us, it probably won't take them anymore than two minutes to catch up," she opened her eyelids, feeling that they were getting rather heavy, "what are you going to do now?"
The woman ducked behind a huge tree to catch her breath, pressing her back against the trunk. "Well, try to kill them all, I guess. Lie down here, alright? Try to stop the bleeding, backup should be arri—"A form of pressure was felt on her arm, and looking down, she saw that Yukari was grasping onto her.
"Do you really think you would be able to beat them? At least if it's the both of us, we might actually be able to last."
A short moment of quiet passed, disturbed only by the approaching footsteps. Aria was searching her mind for a suitable reply, but the only thing that came up was blankness. She sighed in defeat, knowing the girl was right. Gently, she set the other down on her feet. "But I thought you can't see? How are you even going to shoot them?"
Standing on her own feet without support, Yukari could now feel just how drained she was. Nevertheless, the girl still managed a genuine smile. "You seem to be forgetting I almost put a hole right through your head. Just because I'm blind doesn't meant I can't hear."
Aria returned the smile, although if the girl could see, she would have noticed the melancholic note to it. "Fair enough," she drew out her assault rifle, checking to ensure that it was in working condition, "I guess it's just the two of us against the world, just like before we parted."
"Mm, it's almost nostalgic." A chuckle left Yukari's lips, recalling the times when they had to watch out for each other. "…But honestly Aria, I don't mind if you just made a run for it, you'll still be able to get away."
A frown crossed Aria's features—did no one understand what she had meant when she said she had no intentions of leaving her best friend behind? "That night when we ran away, the only thing that stood between Death and I was you. So I'm not abandoning you today, even if I do end up dying, I owe you that much."
Another sigh escaped into the air, and Yukari could not help but feel that Aria was still very naïve even though had grown into an adult. "You're being very silly."
"Says the one who got herself blinded in the first place." A stranger may have taken it as an insult, but Yukari knew her friend better than that. "Besides, wasn't that what you loved about me?"
The lilac-haired girl opened her mouth to retort, but found herself agreeing with what Aria had said and instead aimed her handgun at the poor bastard who first came within range.
"Yes, I suppose that was what I loved about you, and I still do, as a matter of fact."