Year: 771
A little more than 3 years after the Cell Game
Broken
When Ruri woke up that morning, the first thing that came to her mind was fear.
Fear that everything was just a dream.
She was there, alone in her bed, alone in her room.
Yet, it all seemed so real. That wonderful evening. 17, crossing the ocean to bring her food, and those long hours spent watching a movie while eating together. 17's adorable face when he'd tasted, and obviously really liked, the chocolate/raspberry ice cream. And their long discussion, snuggled up together, until fatigue got the better of her. She remembered perfectly the warmth of his body, the slow movements of his breathing that had almost lulled her into sleep.
And most of all, she remembered that wonderful moment. 17's hands on her, inside her. His kisses, his gentleness, his strength and the intense pleasure he had given her.
He had kept his promise and had gone no further, thinking of her, acting only for her. While she had waited for him afterwards, Ruri had not been able to help but wonder. How could he possibly know how to do this sort of thing? He had seemed to know what he was doing every second, while he was unable to name the vast majority of everyday objects he might encounter.
But he had come back, and she had finally forgotten to ask him.
He had promised to stay that night with her, and he had kept his word once again. She had even fallen asleep on his chest.
So where was he now? Would she have imagined all this?
The fear became anguish, something totally irrational.
Unable to bear it any longer, Ruri jumped out of bed, put on a jacket and went outside. The sun was up, it was almost 9 o'clock in the morning. With hesitant steps, she walked along the common areas of the ship. Noises coming from the kitchen finally caught her attention.
When she entered, the young woman was stunned to find a busy 17. A delicious smell assaulted her nostrils as she stepped further into the room.
- I can hear you, little human, 17 said suddenly, without even turning around. Sit down, it's almost ready normally.
- But ... you're cooking? Ruri questioned, astonished.
- Yes.
As usual, 17 gave simple answers, and it was necessary to insist to have a real discussion with him. So the young woman sat down at the table, and resumed:
- Since when do you cook? And what are you cooking? And with what? And why?
- Since this morning. Pancakes. With ingredients I went to buy on the mainland. And because I was bored, 17 explained nonchalantly.
- Pancakes? exclaimed Ruri, even more surprised. When you're bored you make pancakes? What is that, some weird program Dr. Gero put in your brain?
- No, human, 17 replied, coming over to her with a pan in hand. I only have combat-related information in my brain implants.
- Can you explain it to me then? Because right now, I'm lost...
Without answering, 17 came and sat down next to her and placed two pancakes on a plate. He had also prepared some coffee, and served two cups. Once the breakfast was on the table, he looked at Ruri, and explained to her, obviously a little embarrassed:
- Look, I know I promised to stay with you tonight. But after the movie you ended up falling asleep. Ruri, staring at the ceiling for hours, I couldn't. I was too bored.
- And?
- Around 3am I got up. I wasn't sure what to do so I took the computer you gave me. I started looking for information about sharks. Just out of curiosity.
- What does this have to do with pancakes?
- Nothing.
- ... and so?
- I don't know how, but after a few hours I came across a video of a lady making pancakes. She said they were good. And since yesterday you wanted to eat pizza, I thought you might also like to eat something other than cookies this morning.
- So you're telling me that you found a video about pancakes and went to buy ingredients before I got up?
- Yes.
- But why?
- I promised to stay. And I didn't keep my promise. But I don't like to stay inactive for too long, it's complicated for me.
Ruri looked at him, confused at first. Then, reading in his eyes that he was telling the truth, she couldn't believe it. This reaction was so strange and cute at the same time. Typical of 17. She held back her laughter so as not to make him feel even more uncomfortable.
- You wanted to make up for not staying? she asked, amused.
- Yes.
- 17, I can understand that you got up. I don't blame you at all.
- Really?
- Of course, tin can! It's true that you don't sleep, I forgot. I shouldn't have asked you to stay all night long.
- Ah.
- But I really appreciate, it was very nice of you to bake pancakes!
- You always eat the same thing, I wonder how you even manage to survive on such poor food.
- When you talk like that I feel like I'm hearing... Ruri began, before stopping immediatly.
17 turned to her in silence with a questioning look. But the young woman resumed almost immediately after:
- Never mind. Well, shall we try those famous pancakes?
- Yes.
They both ate, at first in silence. But Ruri could not stay still for long.
- IT IS SO GOOD! she suddenly exclaimed.
- Yes, it's not bad.
- Not bad ? No, they are delicious! How did you do it ?
- I followed the recipe.
- Yes, well, you've never tasted my cooking to say such a thing. I've also tried to follow recipes.
- And?
- And consider yourself lucky that you can survive without eating 17.
- Is it really that bad?
- Do you want to test?
- Not really, actually.
They exchanged a look, and laughed.
Ruri hadn't been dreaming, 17 was there, more attentive than ever towards her. Just like he had been the day before. He was so tender, so kind. Suddenly, her questions from the previous night came back to her. She hesitated for a few more seconds, discreetly observing 17 as he ate his breakfast.
He ate slowly, in small bites. He was clearly no longer used to ingesting large quantities of food. She had noticed, however, that he seemed to have a particular appetite for sugar. The previous day's ice cream had been a kind of revelation for him.
All of this was really disturbing from the outside. 17 was a human, that was obvious. But so much of him seemed to have disappeared. Or at least buried deep in his memory.
Unable to contain her curiosity, she finally dared to ask him:
- Hey, 17, can I ask you a question?
- Yes.
- About last night and what you did to me...
- Yes?
- How did you know?
- How did I know what?
- Doing all this. Your gestures were so precise. Your voice. Everything. Everything was perfect.
- Thank you, he replied mockingly.
- I'm serious!
- So I don't know.
- If you only knew how much I want to smash this pan across your face right now!
17 then took a few seconds, trying to think of a better answer. It wasn't that easy to explain to a human like Ruri how his memories worked. He almost regretted not asking Dr. Gero more questions. He probably would have understood the cyberization process better if he had asked questions.
- In fact, he began, it's complicated. But if you want an example, it's a bit like driving a car.
- What?
- Yes, yesterday it was the same as with the cars.
- Are you comparing me to a car?
- No.
- Yes.
- No. I'm not. It's not you I'm comparing, it's the feeling.
- This sentence makes no sense.
- Look, I spent two years in Gero's lab, mostly doing... well, operations. And learning to fight, too. We had almost nothing from the outside world to distract us. And yet...
- Yet what?
- Let me finish. When I woke up, after I killed Gero, I wanted to get a car. I knew what a car was. And when I settled down and got behind the wheel, I can't explain how, but I knew what to do. I've always known how to drive. But it wasn't the crazy old man who taught me. And he didn't plant it in my head, I know that. It came naturally, when I felt the steering wheel in my hands.
- Whereas your human name, you don't remember it, do you?
- Yes. There are things I've forgotten, and things I haven't. Sometimes I just know what to do, and I don't have to think. But that's all I can tell you. Yesterday was no different. At one point, I knew what to do. That was it. The rest I don't know.
This answer, disarmingly sincere, touched Ruri deeply. The mere mention of what he had experienced in that laboratory caused her more and more pain each time he broached the subject.
Nevertheless, her scientific curiosity was also piqued, and an idea suddenly came to her.
- Wait, she said, hand me your computer, I have to look for something.
The young woman then began tapping frantically on the keyboard, 17 looking curiously over her shoulder as he sipped his coffee. But he couldn't really keep up, as Ruri moved from one site to the next with great speed, without him even having time to read and understand everything that was displayed on the screen.
- That's it ! I've got it !
- What did you find?
- If I'm correct, Gero erased your episodic memory, causing retrograde amnesia. But he spared your procedural memory.
- Huh?
- In fact, Ruri explained, turning to him, the human brain is very complex. Episodic memory is the memory of personally experienced moments. Memories. And that's what he erased. And it's called "retrograde" because it's your memories from before the operations that you lost. Some people, on the other hand, lose the memories that are located after a trauma.
- Really?
- Apparently. But there is another kind of memory. Procedural memory is very different. It's an unconscious part. It's more like learned habits and reflexes, like riding a bike or driving a car. And this memory, it has not been damaged. That's why you don't know your name anymore, but you still have a lot of intuitive knowledge.
- But how did he manage to take one away from me and not the other?
- According to this site, procedural memory is buried deep in the brain. It is difficult to reach. Episodic memory is more likely to be located on the outside. How did he take away your memories?
- I don't know about that, but he sometimes put sticky things on our heads. With wires.
- Electrodes! And on your skull, so on the surface. So it didn't reach the center of the brain.
- Every time he used it, afterwards, 18 and I found it harder and harder to remember. Little by little, everything became blurry. No matter how hard we tried, it got worse every time. We spent many long nights talking to each other to try to do something. But it was impossible, 17 added in a monotone, as if lost in thought.
- Oh, 17, I'm so sorry! I'm really stupid sometimes. Sorry, I didn't mean to make you think of all those things!
Ruri clutched her head in her hands. Sometimes she hated herself for being so curious. She knew how much 17 must have suffered over the years with these operations and the gradual loss of his humanity that he had fought so hard against.
But to her surprise, he gently grabbed her hands and pulled her face away.
He was smiling.
- No, it's okay, little human, he told her gently. Actually, I'm glad. You're helping me understand how all this works. It's very interesting.
- Really?
- Yes.
- So you're not mad?
- No.
Reassured, Ruri continued:
- In any case, I can make two deductions.
- Which ones?
- The first is that Dr. Gero had to do extensive research into biology to achieve such a mastery of the mechanisms of memory. He clearly wasn't just a robotic genius. What he did to you was horrible, but it was well done.
- Yes, I'll admit that.
- You're a masterpiece, actually, Ruri told her with a smile.
- Haha! Yes, I know, 17 replied with a wink. What about your second deduction?
- Well, she replied, pressing her forehead against his, you must have been quite a womanizer to have retained in your procedural memory the 'kind' of memories that came back to you last night.
After a second of surprise, 17 smiled wider, and replied, just before kissing her:
- I hope to have the opportunity to see if I have any more in store soon.
- I hope you have some... Ruri said, returning his kiss.
Carried away by this force of attraction that they did not know how to contain, they kissed each other, for a long time, before finally resuming the course of their day.
After breakfast and getting ready, 17 and Ruri went back to work. There was a lot to do. First of all, they had to switch on the camera that they had managed to attach to the megalodon and start watching the first pictures.
Three days passed like this, Ruri examining the videos with great attention, while 17 piloted the ship to the location of the 3ᵉ beacon. Once close to the transmitting signal, he had to make a complete circle around an archipelago consisting of several large islands. As he approached it, he felt for a few moments a strange feeling. A sort of uneasiness which he could not explain. But he paid no further attention to it, and at the end of the day he was able to moor the ship vertically to the frequency. Then he started to prepare the diving equipment.
It was only later, when night had fallen, that Ruri joined him.
This time, she had decided to tell him about the monster they were going to meet long before they went to meet it. It was indeed from this third animal that the expedition entered a more dangerous phase. As she explained to him, the stupendemis were relatively quiet animals, and the behavior of the megalodon was finally quite "predictable". For all that, with a little caution and 17's abilities, observing them had not been very risky.
It wasn't going to be that easy to get close to the third one: The Kraken.
A legendary monster that had destroyed many ships in the history of mankind. Its immense size and ferocity had frightened sailors for generations, and its exact nature had long been shrouded in mystery. With the help of previous explorations, however, humans now knew a little about this animal.
It was basically a giant octopus. As with the turtles, 17 had been surprised that a creature he thought was so harmless could be so fearsome. But Ruri had quickly enlightened him on the nature of the threat.
- Don't be fooled 17, on the contrary, she had explained to him. Normal octopuses are not dangerous to humans because they are small. But they are terrifying predators in fact. They have 8 prehensile tentacles and a very powerful beak, imagine what that could do to a giant monster. And to make matters worse, octopuses are highly intelligent animals. Able to avoid traps, to develop strategies. Nothing to do with the megalodon, for example, which has a rather basic behavior. And that's not the worst of it...
- What is worse?
- The Kraken was long thought to be a solitary monster. But the third expedition was able to get close enough to determine that in fact, they live in groups. Managing a single individual is fine, but several at the same time... We will really have to be very careful. This dive will be risky.
And after finishing her explanations, Ruri had gone to sleep, to gain strength.
Left alone, 17 had plenty of time to analyze these new elements. A large animal, intelligent, capable of protecting itself and attacking in all directions, of striking and grabbing at the same time... A part of him felt a rising excitement that he knew well: excitement of fighting. To measure himself against an opponent who could give him a challenge. The megalodon had already awakened in him a little of that thrill that had thrilled him so much in the past. But he hadn't really been in danger.
With this third monster, the challenge was getting bigger and bigger, and he loved that. Only the prospect of protecting Ruri prevented 17 from fully appreciating the idea of confronting such an animal. For while he was almost certain that he himself would not be risking much, the same could not be said for her.
Alone on the bridge, 17 spent the whole night thinking, concentrating as much as possible, trying to picture the monster and imagine all possible scenarios. Until the sun came up and they were able to set out on the trail of the Kraken.
Finding the beacon was again quite easy: the water was clear, the weather was good, the visibility in the water was at its best. They had to dive a little deeper than before, but not enough for Ruri to need to put on her wetsuit. The underwater landscape was however already very different: no more plateau to land on, only the immensity of the ocean and rocky cliffs plunging as far as the eye could see towards the deep sea.
It was on the edge of one of them that the beacon was hung. It marked very clearly the entrance to a cave in the rocky slopes.
After an exchange of glances, 17 and Ruri entered cautiously. The entrance was not very large, but the interior of the cavity was huge. The light from the surface only partially reached the walls of the stone dome, the darkness increasing as they went deeper. With time, both had begun to tame each other, and they were able to communicate a little without needing to speak. Glances and a few gestures were enough for them to understand each other. And it was very useful, because after a few meters of exploration, they saw some gigantic creatures right in front of them.
Three monumental octopuses, at least 15 meters long, stood before them, hanging on the walls of the cave. Fortunately, they did not seem to have sensed their presence. Without a word, without a sudden gesture, 17 and Ruri slid to the side to observe them a little.
- Krakens, clearly, the young woman murmured, very focused.
- Yes, without a doubt.
On closer inspection, Ruri thought she could make out a thin shell covering the back of the animals' bodies.
- We have to get close if I want samples and ... she began, before her attention was drawn to a faint glow on their right.
- What is it? asked 17, who had also just noticed it.
- No idea. Let's take a look.
And being careful not to make any noise that might betray their presence, they made their way to the place from which the strange glow emanated. It was in a remote corner of the cave. A bluish mass lined the floor and walls, lighting them with a very slight glow.
17 and Ruri positioned themselves on it and examined the curious material. It was a soft, slimy substance, forming small clusters that they were careful not to move or damage.
- How can this thing light up around here? questioned 17 after a few moments.
- It's called bioluminescence, Ruri replied as she continued to inspect the area. Many living organisms are capable of emitting light through chemical reactions.
- Is this thing alive?
- I don't know, but it reminds me of something I saw, and...
In an instant, Ruri froze. 17 knew his partner: she had just understood something, and probably not good news given the expression on her face.
- What?
- Eggs. They're eggs, she said, a hint of concern in her voice. We're right in the middle of where they lay their eggs, that's why they gather here. 17, we need to get out of this area immediately before they spot us.
- Too late.
When the young woman turned to 17, she saw that he was looking above them. Raising her head in turn, she saw with fright that 4 octopuses were there, threatening, only a few meters away.
- Not one sudden move, she immediately indicated to 17 who had just raised his arm in their direction. Remember what I told you about animals and their babies?
- Nothing is worse than being a threat to an animal's young.
- That's it. Now we are a danger to their eggs. The situation is not to your advantage here, in this enclosed space. So we'll try to get out of this without fighting.
- So we're slowly moving away?
- Yes.
- All right. Come close to me.
Ruri obeyed instantly, and pressed herself against 17. He grabbed her with one hand, keeping the other free just in case, and began to back away as slowly as possible. The krakens were very agitated. Spasms were running through their bodies, showing their anger. The octopuses kept their eyes on them and continued to follow them, following their every step as if they wanted to keep them close. 17 could see their nervousness. Ruri was right, everything in their body language indicated an imminent attack. They were going to have to play it smart and be ready.
He backed up, backed up again, trying with difficulty to reach the exit in this dark and steep terrain.
But in a fraction of a second, everything turned.
With a single blow, one of the octopuses threw a tentacle in their direction. Keeping his calm, 17 didn't use a wave of energy, but he had to kick the octopus to prevent it from grabbing them. The other animals did not seem to like this gesture and began to shake their bodies more and more. The noise caused by all this commotion inevitably attracted other krakens.
Feeling a presence at his back, 17 had just enough time to leap into the water to avoid a grabbing attempt from an octopus even larger than the others. This animal came back to charge, shaking its tentacles in all directions, sometimes to catch them, sometimes to strike them with extreme violence.
Although not as comfortable in the water as in the air, 17 managed to avoid them without too much difficulty.
"Like against him... like against him"
Suddenly, this memory came back to him.
Cell, who had just gotten rid of Piccolo and was reaching for him in the air, throwing the appendage he wanted to absorb him with towards him.
And he, trying as much as he could to escape this fatal assimilation, his speed increased tenfold by despair, feeling irremediably the blows of his opponent become more precise, understanding with each passing second that he could not escape.
His breath was caught. For a brief moment, he could not dodge any further. Tetanized.
The kraken took advantage of this moment of weakness, and wrapped a tentacle around Ruri's ankle. Abruptly, it drew her towards it, revealing a black beak in the center of its arms that it closed on her, tearing her skin.
The sight of blood and the scream of pain from the young woman brought 17 back to reality. He reacted immediately, punching the monster hard enough to make it let go. But the animal did not intend to give up so easily, and deploying its 8 tentacles in one go, it charged towards the couple again.
Instinctively, 17 activated his energy barrier.
Ruri then saw a green ball taking shape around them, from which a multiple of small lightning bolts emanated, enveloping them both.
The kraken retreated slightly, and seemed to hesitate, before quickly launching attacks from all sides at once. 17 then noticed, to his great surprise, that his barrier was unable to contain the monster's tentacles. The energy flowing on its surface was throwing off discharges that only seemed to hurt the Kraken enough for him to be forced to pull his arms back. He was able to keep it at bay, but no more.
He didn't seem to be able to stop physical attacks.
"Think... think..." he kept thinking, trying to figure out the right strategy. But Ruri didn't give him the time. After glancing down at her leg, she understood instantly.
- 17! she shouted, get us out of here!
- I'm trying, he replied.
- No, listen to me. I'm bleeding. Losing blood in water is dangerous. It won't be long before we're surrounded by other predators. There's no time for finesse. We need to get out of the water, fast!
A trickle of blood was indeed leaking from the young woman's leg, though with all that was going on, he couldn't see well. Nevertheless, without further thought, 17 grabbed Ruri with one hand, pinning her against his body, and with the other, he unleashed a wave of energy. The power of the wave threw both of them backwards, with 17 hitting the rocky walls of the cave with full force and shattering them. And as he now knew, running away was tantamount to designating himself as prey. As a result, the krakens logically rushed at them, demonstrating the colossal speed they could demonstrate.
But 17 was not impressed. Free from the constraint of being in a closed space, he launched new energy waves and reached the surface in a few seconds. Still holding Ruri in his arms, he immediately went to the ship's deck. It was only when he arrived that he realized the seriousness of her injury. He had intervened early enough to prevent the Kraken from squeezing her ankle too tightly, but its sharp beak had been able to cut away much of her flesh along the length of her calf. She was losing a lot of blood.
The sight of Ruri's shredded leg sent 17 into a state of terror of which he had not felt in a very long time.
- 17, I need you to... take me to the lab quickly... Ruri said weakly.
- Yes, but why are you talking like that?
- I'm... losing... blood... I'm gonna pass out so... quick...
Her voice was now a whisper, she was frighteningly pale, losing strength as time went on. 17 brought her into the laboratory in a rush, and laid her down on her desk. He was distraught. Completely unaware of what to do to help her.
Using her last bit of strength, Ruri managed to say:
- In the drawer there... a rope. It's a tourniquet. Tighten... my leg... to... stop the blood. And here ... you need ... bandages ...
Then she lost consciousness.
Ruri's blood flowed profusely down her leg, gradually covering the floor of the laboratory. She no longer spoke. She didn't laugh anymore. Her face was inexpressive, her bright smile had evaporated, giving way to a cold and morbid mask.
Death.
The end.
The void.
Loneliness.
17's heart was beating rapidly. A growing feeling of oppression began to grip his chest. He had experienced this feeling many times before, but he couldn't name it and couldn't really suppress it. But this time, a new fear was added to it.
Fear of losing.
Fear of losing, again.
Fear of losing her.
Instinctively, he managed to regain the upper hand temporarily. Anesthetizing his torment, an unconscious force arose in him and helped him to act. Ruri had given him directions, now he had to follow them.
He easily found the kind of rope she had mentioned. He had to tighten it, and stop the flow of blood that continued to escape from her bruised body. He managed to do so easily enough. He still had to treat her leg. He used a rag to clean the wound and get a closer look at the damage. A long, gaping line ran down his calf. Deep, but clean and precise. He knew he had to tighten both edges of the wound.
"Bandages"
The word Ruri had spoken came back to him. A word whose meaning he vaguely remembered. But as he rummaged through the drawer, he recognized the items. Strips of cloth, adhesives... everything that was needed. So 17, focused, set about healing the young woman's leg as best he could, squeezing as much as he could again to glue the bits of flesh that had been severed back together. He only needed a few minutes to do this.
Then all he had to do was wait. Turning around, he saw that there really was blood absolutely everywhere. The floor, the walls... Everywhere. Breathing hard, his mind growing foggy, 17 nevertheless dutifully began to clean the ship.
"Wake up... wake up..."
This thought did not leave his mind for the whole hour that followed, the seconds following the minutes, each one plunging him further into an ocean of darkness in which he ended up, despite all his efforts, drowning...
When Ruri opened her eyes, it took her a few moments to realize where she was.
She felt incredibly weak, but the stabbing pain in her leg quickly brought her out of her stupor. She grabbed her calf, and immediately realized that a very tight bandage had been placed on it. She then remembered the previous scene.
17 !
Straightening up abruptly, she immediately looked for him.
There he was, in front of her, with his arms crossed.
Immediately, Ruri gave him a wide smile. She was so happy to see him. He had been incredible, as usual. The situation had been very dangerous, and without him, she would never have made it out of that confrontation alive. His power was really so surreal. And that bandage, even improvised, had clearly saved her life.
But 17 did not smile back.
Ruri noticed the coldness in his eyes. He was looking at her with an icy expression. The blue of his eyes, so clear, was like a blade piercing her chest. He looked totally different from the one he had been that morning. He had the same look on his face as when they had been confronted by the poachers who had killed the elephant. A look so fierce that it made her uncomfortable.
- 17, is everything all right?
- No.
Ruri's heart quickened. An apprehension had been born in her. Her intuition was very strong, and she was getting to know him well. He was not in his normal state.
Swallowing her saliva with difficulty, she nevertheless resumed, more and more worried:
- Well, personnaly I'm fine. Thanks to your...
- Why didn't you understand? he interrupted her dryly.
- Understand what?
- The eggs. Why did you drag us there?
- But, Ruri tried to answer, confused, I didn't drag us there. I didn't expect to find eggs, but I did...
- You've got nothing, he cut her off again, without moving a millimeter. You're the animal expert. You put us in danger.
- I ... why you ... 17, I understood quickly and I ... well, we got out and ...
- Only thanks to me.
- But, I...
- SHUT UP!
He had just shouted this sentence with so much force, almost screaming, that Ruri did not dare to move, or to make the slightest noise. He had never yet raised his voice, not at her, not at anyone. Suddenly, he frightened her.
- This is all YOUR fault, he said, slowly coming closer. You asked me to come with you to protect you, but I can't do anything if you're too stupid and unaware to properly assess the situation. You're the expert, not me.
Tears began to flow down Ruri's cheeks.
Tears of fear.
But a part of her had also shuddered under the effect of a pain of an entirely different nature. The injustice of his insults burned her like red-hot iron.
And tears of despair. Who was this man standing before her? He had nothing to do with 17, with that kind, caring person.
But who was he now? She didn't recognize him at all.
- I... she tried to answer, but could not finish her sentence.
- Are you crying? It's a weak reaction. That's what you are. Stupid and weak. And you're wasting my time. Stay here and cry. I don't care.
And without a word, without another glance, he turned and headed for the deck of the boat.
Shocked, Ruri took a few seconds to understand, before being immediately invaded by terror. No, he couldn't leave! Not now! She tried to put her foot down. No sooner had she placed one toe of her injured leg on the ground than the pain took her breath away.
But she didn't care: she had to follow him.
She had to stop him from leaving.
Limping, each step eliciting a groan of pain, she managed to reach the bridge.
"Don't go!"
She tried to speak, but not a sound could come out of her mouth, so intense was the pain she felt.
"Don't leave me!"
She had to talk to him, she had to be able to explain to him. It was a misunderstanding. He hadn't understood. She hadn't done the right thing. He didn't have to be angry. They could talk about it. Like they did every night. Together.
"Don't go, 17!"
Catch him. Explain it to him.
She wanted to tell him that she loved him. That she loved everything about him.
He made her laugh.
She was so comfortable with him, in the warmth of his arms.
He couldn't left, she couldn't have been so wrong.
Why?
Why such anger?
She had given herself to him, almost entirely to him. She was even about to tell him how much she loved him. He was so tender again this morning.
"You promised me you would never leave me, I trusted you! I have... no man has touched me like you have! Don't..."
- ...leave me here alone!
Those were the only words Ruri managed to utter, before she had to stop, unable to take another step, her aching legs no longer able to carry her.
She was powerless.
She could not hold back her tears any longer, and collapsed.
Alone, wounded.
Her heart, like her body, in pieces.
Looking up, she could only see 17 fly away from her, into the heavens where neither her words nor her tears could reach him.
