Ch. 28: Sweetest Night
I grin confidently. There's no way I can lose.
Yumi curses, trapped in a man-made forest of brambles and thorns. I sprout noxious flowers within the forest to induce a genjutsu, and I hold my katana ready to run her through if necessary.
Then Yumi's voice cuts through my plans.
"You just don't let up, do you?"
"What?"
"Still going, even though you're doomed to lose…"
"What are you talking about?"
"Would you like to see my new jutsu?"
Rustling indicates her handsigns, even as I have yet to answer, and two figures materialize in front of me.
Momoka-chan.
And Noru.
Both coming for me with swords.
"Momoka-chan! Noru! What are you doing?"
"Who are you?"
"I'm your sister! Tomoko-nee-chan!"
"What are you talking about?"
"Your nee-chan! Momoka-chan, I can't believe you're alive!?"
"I've never seen you before in my life."
The scream catches in my throat as they close in, not knowing who I am and not caring to know, Yumi jeering at me with Kazu and Deki at her side.
And then there's a blade in my stomach and a voice whispers, "Hello, Tomoko-chan. Sorry that I lied, but I've been wanted this for forever-and-a-half."
And then another blade comes through the other side and Noru's saying, "I'm not sorry I lied, Tomoko. It was worth it. Isn't this fun, Momoka-nee-chan?"
The blood is pouring, the metal is twisting, Noru and Momoka-chan are too close and they and Yumi and Kazu and Deki are grinning at my pain with hungry eyes and something is crushing my lungs and I can't breathe and I'm not sure I even want to anymore because it can't possibly be worth it and—
I woke up, hyperventilating, to Kazu using my stomach as a pillow and Deki's arm draped across my upper torso.
I thought about yelling, but paused.
It was warm.
Comfortable.
Safe, secure.
I shifted a bit and went back to sleep.