"This was not in the job description."
Nerua sighed. Something was amiss here. She had no control over her body as she floated lazily upwards. There was something off here.
Nerua wasn't the brightest. She admitted that. She owed more to Bell than anyone. It was luck that Bell had decided to make her a bodyguard. Well, she did have dedication. With not much else going for her, Nerua was willing to sacrifice anything to keep the princess safe. No other bodyguard had signed up for the Galaxy League as quickly and as willingly as her.
She had done it for the princess. Everything was because of her. She never imagined that she'd be playing soccer. But for the princess, she would, to keep her safe.
To her surprise, she was capable enough to be an asset. For the longest time they had put her on the active team, right next to the princess herself. It was a dream come true. She was able to protect her teammates just as well as she could protect her royal client. She was especially used to dealing with the angels and wild animals. Those posed no threat. She kept her team safe.
But she couldn't care less if they won. It didn't matter if they won. She was there for her and her alone. That was the whole reason she tried so hard. The rest were just a byproduct of her protection to her.
Her protective instincts caught the rest of the league's attention. She was praised all across the galaxy for her ability to keep her teammates safe. The fame pleasantly surprised her. For the first time, she was being praised for something, and not only that, but praised all over the galaxy! She played on many teams, many that the princess herself didn't. And on each one, she showed why she was chosen to be the princess's bodyguard.
She still couldn't believe it. All she was doing was being herself, and she was a star. Scouted all over the galaxy, playing with many kinds of people, doing what she did best. And all she had to do was adapt her style of protection.
Was it fun? She'd get in trouble if she said it was. But she was in over her head.
A bodyguard is useless if she is away from the body she is supposed to guard. And with all the different types of teams that she had been playing on, she had let that one crucial important detail slip.
With all the times she complained about something not being in the job description, it seemed she actually forgot herself what the job description was. And she was reminded of exactly what it was in the worst possible way.
It had been another one of those days. She was pulled all over the galaxy, guarding people she had no reason to guard, neglecting her duty to stay by the princess to...play soccer.
Exhausted, she had returned from her busy day. But what she came back to was something that flipped her entire world upside down.
Bell. The Princess Bell, her client that she was supposed to protect, was attacked.
The doctors said it was a serious injury; she was cursed with an ailment they had no knowledge of. Nerua did everything she could to visit the room where her client was held, but with whom the princess was, no one was allowed. Not even her bodyguard.
All the time that she was kept in isolation, Nerua had nothing to do in her isolation but dwell on her failures. Who could have done it? The fact that not even the doctors knew how to cure her clearly implied that it was an attack from another planet. And today she had played on every single one of them.
Nerua was going paranoid. Was it possible that one of the teams she played on had purposely drawn her out to attack the princess as she was unguarded? Were they cooperating? If only she hadn't played on so many teams...the suspects were endless.
It was months before the princess finally recovered. Nerua rushed to her side at once. Bell sat in her ward, seemingly waiting for her bodyguard. But before Nerua could get out an apology-
"Where were you?"
Bell's question stopped Nerua in her tracks. She had no answer. There was no excuse for what she had done.
From then on, she considered every element to be her enemy. She refused to protect them in the same way as her princess. If they wanted protection, they would have to fend for themselves. She would even give a few pointers. But she wasn't going to do anything for the possible suspects.
She fell in popularity immediately. The whispers didn't sneak past her. "What's with Nerua?" "She's useless now." "All this hype and this is what I get?!" It was hurtful, but she wasn't going to sympathize. As far as she was concerned only the people on her own planet weren't guilty. Those were the only people she was supposed to protect in the first place. And she ignored the whispers.
One night, there was a note. It was instructions from the princess to board a ship to a place she had never heard of. It wasn't written in Bell's handwriting. But Nerua didn't dare chance disobeying a second time.
She boarded the ship. When it stopped, she was pushed out. And now here she was. Nerua wasn't the smartest, but she knew she had been tricked the second she had took the time to think about it.
It was a lose-lose situation. Had she not obeyed that note, she would have risked Bell firing her. The princess was a really busy individual, and she had given instructions this way before. But following that note led her to her demise. And now Bell was in danger.
It was this that made her feel the worst. Not her own fate. She deserved something like this all along. It was that her client, her friend, Bell was now in constant peril. There was nothing she could do about it.
Nerua spotted something in the distance. A bear, it seemed. Perhaps it would show her mercy and tear her to shreds right there. She sighed. That was impossible. The bear was a small gatekeeper. It posed no threat to her.
As soon as it flew into hearing range, the bear spoke.
"Are you...Nerua?"
"Yes." She responded promptly. "And who are you?"
"I am Sho Sho." The bear adjusted the glasses on its face as it spoke.. "Starting from today, I will be your replacement, due to the recall system."
Nerua could not contain her shock. Replacement? She was being….replaced? Why would an enemy send a replacement for her? But...then…
That meant it was Bell who sent that note! Nerua gasped. This...small bear was to be Bell's bodyguard? Was it more capable than her?
Ah...that was simple. Of course she would be replaced. After her failure to protect the princess, it was only natural that she would be exiled in this fashion.
There were a bevy of feeling that Nerua could feel at this moment. She chose to feel relief. Bell deserved better than her. No, this was a good thing. A failure like hers was unacceptable. This is exactly what should of happened.
Nerua reached out, causing the Sho Sho to flinch. It had the reaction time at the very least. Appearances could be deceiving as well. If this bear was truly a gatekeeper, she was sure it had tricks up its sleeves. She softly patted the small bear on top of its head, earning herself a look of surprise from the gatekeeper.
"Protect the princess...better than I did, okay?" Nerua spoke softly. Tears were starting to form on her eyes, but she bit her tongue to stop them from falling. There was no excuse for her to cry. This is what she deserved, after all.
The bear gaped at her, having no idea what the girl he was replacing said. "Uh...sure." he replied hesitantly.
Nerua smiled. It wasn't easy, but she managed it. A sort of strained, forced smile, but it did the trick. it reflected her feelings after all.
As long as the princess was safe, it didn't matter what happened to someone like her. She wholeheartedly believed that.
It didn't make it any less painful, but what was she going to do?
The bear had past by her. She was going to leave her duty with it. And without her job now, it was starting to truly settle in what she was now.
An empty shell of a dimwitted girl, who the princess had kept around despite her shortcomings. But it seemed she had finally gotten what she really deserved.
The tears were starting to fall. There was no dignity to protect. She let them drop. She was just a collection of mass now. In fact, she felt sorry for the tears for having to come out of her. Those drops of water deserved better.
Hours passed before she finally got it all out her system. Lightheaded, she closed her eyes, sniffling. She imagined how Bell was faring with her new acquisition. Imagining the princess content and well-guarded managed to bring a smile back on her face, despite her situation.
As long as she was safe, Nerua thought. As long as she was safe.