Author's notes:
Jacqueline releases her Yoki after having it sealed away for more than two years! Only the heavens know what will happen (and you, if you keep on reading!)
Enjoy!
Chapter 19 - Overload
Her fast movements suddenly stopped as an insanely huge burst of Yoki startled her so much that her heart stopped for a second. She tripped and nearly fell if it hadn't been for a tree right next to her to support her. Feeling a little lightheaded she decided to sit down. 'I see,' she realized grimly, 'so you are going that far, Jacqueline?'
Vanessa's face turned towards were the enormous amount of Yoki came from. 'I am feeling dizzy at this distance already! How will those two feel?'
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A blast of Yoki never before felt by neither Hitomi nor Vectra was released by the deserter Blankface Jacqueline, the former Number 6, who they were to persuade into rejoining the Organization. Hitomi, the current Number 5, normally close to unable to sense Yoki at all, was struck by a fear unknown to her. All she could do was to stare into the golden eyes of her former comrade. That the dirt on the forest track was blown into her face by the wind that the sheer pressure of Jacqueline's Yoki made she did not even notice. Also, the fact that Vectra was staggering, having grave problems staying on her feet, was barely noticed by her.
'What... in the world' she repeated in her mind over and over, not comprehending what she was feeling at that moment. She knew that Jacqueline had a Yoki even she could feel clearly if it was released – but what she was feeling then was incomprehensible in many ways. She could clearly feel her heart beat, so slowly she thought it was going to stop any second. She experienced something that she had only known when moving at speeds beyond the sound barrier – her consciousness sped up, id est the time she felt was longer than the time that actually passed. She needed to do that (though it was more like it just happened) when she moved and fought at supersonic speeds because otherwise it would have been impossible for her to control her movements, but at that moment it happened while she was not moving at all.
She then could surmise that Jacqueline was stepping towards and the past her. Seemingly nothing happened. Then, however, she lost all feeling in her legs and fell to her knees first and then face down to the ground. The whole process of falling down seemed like minutes to her – Jacqueline walking past her was barley visible compared to that.
###
The moment Jacqueline had released her Yoki all of Vectra's senses dulled. She suddenly felt dizzy, her vision went dark and blurry, she went numb and, last but not least, she could not even feel how she tripped and fell to the ground anymore. Even her nose, her sensory organ she trusted most, just stopped to relay any input to her brain. The latter was completely and utterly overloaded by the massive amount of Yoki it sensed, rendering it completely unable to process any other input.
All she managed to do was to aimlessly pat the ground around her, though she could not feel a thing. Eventually her brain shut off due to overstress, leading to her falling unconscious.
###
As soon as the massive amount of Yoki had appeared in the distance the soon it was gone. Risa stood next to the plaza her young comrade, Lillaine, would always play on, looking into western direction. Her face was rather honest while she was musing about exactly what it was she had felt. It neither was a warrior nor an Awakened Being, but on the other hand it felt kind of similar to either of them. Also, she could not really determine where exactly it came from, because the source was probably way farther than the distance she could normally sense Yoki at – and yet she could feel it clearly. It had to have been a strong Yoki, stronger than everything she had ever felt, of that she was sure. And that would have meant it was above an Abyssal One's – but that seemed so impossible to her that she was asking herself whether or not her senses might be waning due to her getting old (for a warrior, that is.)
A joyful "Yippie!" from the Organization's Number 3 cut off her thoughts. Apparently she had broken her own record in her game where she was simply jumping from tile to tile.
Risa smiled when regarding her fosterling, inwardly questioning herself how a game as simple as that just did not seem to get old to her.
'Must be great to have something comparable to a childhood' she mused bitterly on the one hand, but happy for her young comrade at the other hand, still watching Lillaine being lost in her game.
###
Jacqueline's Yoki had been suppressed by her just a few seconds after she had released it. She turned around to take a look at the grounds where she was supposed to be killed – at least if the Organization had had their way. On the forest track that now was completely void of any mud or dust that had been on it due to the deserter's release of Yoki there lay the two warriors send to persuade her into returning – or killing her if she was to refuse: Vectra, unharmed, passed out, and Hitomi, conscious, three stabs through her lower back's spine.
Number 5's way of experiencing the events around her had returned to normal before she knew it. She was lying face to the ground, fists clenched, having her forehead pressed against the ground. Her upper body was visibly shaking and her teeth grinding. Though her face was completely covered by her hair Jacqueline did not need to take a look at it to know what had to be going on inside of Hitomi. Jacqueline, however, turned around again, and was about to begin walking away, as Hitomi cried "Wait!"
She kept standing there, sighed a little and asked: "What is it, still?"
"Why..." Hitomi whispered nearly inaudibly.
"Come again?"
"Why..." Hitomi whispered again, slightly whimpering.
"You know," Jacqueline began to say something, but was interrupted by Hitomi screaming: "WHY DO YOU WANT TO BE WIHTOUT ME THIS MUCH?"
Along with that scream it was then Hitomi whose Yoki turned into a raging storm in an instant, turning her eyes golden, distorting her face and hands and, much to Jacqueline's surprise, apparently completely healing the three cuts she had made in her former comrade's spine to incapacitate her.
"Honestly" Jacqueline whispered while turning around again and closing her eyes for but a moment. The moment she opened them Hitomi stood right before here, the blade of her claymore so close to the deserter's neck that not a hair had fit in between, the eyes of Number 5 completely absorbed in Jacqueline's abyssal eyes. Neither of them moved a muscle, Jacqueline because she felt no need, Hitomi because she did not dare. Though Hitomi was releasing significantly more than fifty percent of her Yoki she was absolutely deadlocked.
After moments seeming like years Jacqueline plainly asked: "Won't you suppress your Yoki already?"
Without thinking Hitomi did as she was asked and completely sealed her Yoki, what did not even take the blink of an eye – it seemed like it vanished in an instant. She hesitantly made a step backwards, put her blade away from Jacqueline's neck and then slumped onto her knees. Tears were streaming down her face. She had been completely defeated.
Author's notes:
The battle has come to an end, but will Jacqueline just leave or still have something to say to her friend? Find out in the chapter to come! (Yeah, I've been reading to many Manga lately)
kstefan88