"Sa...ku...ra...?"
Those words just danced out of my mouth as I became stupefied by the figure I had in front of me...
"There's... no way..."
I couldn't quite believe it... I hadn't even considered the fact that I would meet her once again after all that had happened...
I had completely renounced my right to seeing her ever again after Seiichi killed me... yet here she was...
This was none other... than my childhood friend... the girl I had been in love with throughout my entire life...
Sakura Kaneshiro...
And now... she was right in front of me... I was quite simply left in shock as I remained frozen in place...
'How can this be...?'
I was clearl quite engrossed in my thoughts, but as Iemained deep within them, I felt a soft tap on my shoulder... followed by a concerned voice...
"Oi, Reika... are you okay...?"
"Uwah-ah? Ah! Ye-yeah! I'm fine...!"
I tried to respond like a normal person... but I failed... horribly...
I barely responded startled to Myria's concerned question...
Also, I hadn't realized until now, but both, Scarlet and Myria were staring curiously and some wry smiles...
"Reika-cha〜n, are you sure, you're ok〜?"
"Yeah... you're acting... stranger than usual Reika...?"
"Pfffft, NAH! Pfffft, I'm fine...? Can't you see...? I'm quite obviously fine!!!"
"..."
'I'm such a disgrace to human communication when I'm nervous...'
Yep, I was an awkward mess... I swear... even the guards surrounding us cringed at my fake reaction...
And to drive home my embarrassment... Myria and Scarlet were wearing wry smiles seeing my pitiful attempt of diverting the attention from myself...
(Mental Facepalm)
'I really need to learn to control myself someday...'
...
In the end, Myria and Scarlet finally abandoned the topic with long sighs. After all was said and done, the guards finally signaled us to move, as we finally began to make our way to the arguing guild masters...
As we got closer, their arguing became far more apparent...
And chaotic...
It was clearly a one-way argument with Callum pleading for something over and over again, while Pietro refused over, and over and over...
It was clearly.. slowly but surely annoying poor Callum to dangerous levels...
And that wasn't it... to top it all off, we could all clearly see Kira nibbling on her nails from stress...
And of course, on the far corner... stood the crossed-armed Sakura, staring at the rising argument with a cold gaze that even sent shivers down my spine...
'Just what is going on...?'
I was honestly beginning to get quite anxious from the strange atmosphere that was beginning to be generated from the heated debate the two guild masters were heaving...
And as we slowly got closer to them... My anxiety was only deepened as I could now hear their claims... and it really wasn't pretty...
"Pietro! I'm telling you! There's no way you can punish these girls so gravely!"
"Silence Callum!, you know perfectly well that a failed quest is a failed quest... but this... this is a direct transgression against the Everidian kingdom..."
"Pietro are you insane?! This is no transgression besides, they are direct protection for the Litherm Kingd-"
"THEY HAD ONE JOB, CALLUM!!! ONE JOB!!!"
I could clearly tell Callum was beginning to get frustrated from even listened to that annoying guy... but it wasn't just from his words...
He actually started to irradiate some killing intent as he got more and more frustrated with Pietro's lame comebacks...
And to our strange, yet pleasant surprise... Pietro immediately got alarmed by the frustrated Callum...
"H-Hey t-there... calm down now... You k-know we can't fight here..."
"..."
"Ca-Callum... c-come on, now... Y-you know you can't do that..."
It was simply, absurd... the instant Callum released, even more, killing intent, Pietro's face went pale with fear as Callum lowered his eyes with disgust...
But by that point... we couldn't hold back anymore...
We had been holding back all of this time... and we just couldn't anymore...
The instant such an absurd scene was displayed before us, we let it loose...
"""HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"""
We let out a barrage oftears and mad laughs as everyone turned in shock to face us...
I mean, it was simply too funny to see such a scene develop before us... Just picture a guy with his ego way over its safe zone, suddenly being scared to desth by the simple frustration of the guy he was literally just scolding... IT WAS PRECIOUS!!!
But that's besides the point... For some reason, nobody had actually realized we had arrived up to now... And that was clear by their awkward faces of surprise as they saw us laugh at Pietro's reaction...
'I guess they were tol absorbed their argument?'
They all stood in place for a second processing the fact they had not noticed us... Yet one of the impressions was a little different than the others...
For some reason, the moment I cleared my tears I immediately made eye contact with Sakura, who I caught ominously staring at me...
I wasn't quite sure why that was but it didn't matter as I began concentrating on something else immediately after...
With a quick retraction of his killing intent-filled aura, Callum began talking first:
"Ummm... Hello... Girls... As you know... this is Pietro-sama, and he... has... he... kinda... wants... to... kinda... like... Ummm-"
I was a little scared... For someone as confident, secure and 'overwhelming' as Callum to stutter... something bad was surely going to come out of this...
It was clear Callum was trying to sugar-coat whatever he was trying to say... and I didn't want that... I'd rather hear the cold-hearted truth rather than a hopeful lie...
And as such, I gave him a big smile... as I said to him familiarly...
"It's fine..."
"..."
For some reason, he seemed a little happy yet tearful the moment I directed those words which only got me even more anxious... yet that didn't matter anymore...
As Callum took a deep breath and calmed down... he finally began:
"So... Pietro-sama... wan-"
"-Wants to put you on trial"
...
...
...
Something I hadn't quite expected had just echoed throughout the room...
A cold, yet majestic voice rang out interrupting Callum's warm and heartful tone... bringing the true subject of the matter straight onto the table with no sugar-coating at all...
And of course... the author of such a voice...
Had been none other than Sakura herself...
Without melting her ice-cold gaze... she directed her sights straight to me... As she finally began to approach us with a condescending look on her eyes...
It was strange... there was an ominous aura of hatred and grief around her... yet
I began to question... if this was truly Sakura...
I had known her since I have memory...
She has always been cheerful...
She has always been Gracious...
And an overall... wonderful person inside... and out...
...
But one thing didn't sit right with me...
She had managed to interrupt the kind-hearted Callum without a moment's hesitation...
...
I mean, yes... he was taking quite a bit of time to talk...
But... Callum is that sort of person you warm up to before you even realize it...
Yet... she didn't even think twice before silencing him...
It was... as if Sakura had not even considered the others' feelings...
I am not sure what has exactly happened during her time in this strange world...
But from the way she walked... from her voice... from her crooked smile...
This was no longer the Sakura I once knew...
It was as if true calamity had been bestowed upon her, to leave her in such a depressing position...
I felt pain in my heart seeing her in this state...
I could physically feel the grief irradiating from her body as she approached us...
...
And as she finally made her way to us... she didn't speak... but... Pietro spoke for her first...
As if he was some sort of promotional advert or a peasant announcing the arrival of his master... he began:
"Presenting... Sakura Kaneshiro... Second-in-command of the Everidian Hero Squadron... slaughterer of the thousand blades... Also known... as the Ice Queen of the Everidian Kingdom...'
...
Hearing that small dialogue Pietro had just let loose, I had no choice but to lower my eyes in order to disguise my pity... my lament... and my sorrow...
'So it is her...'
I had been praying inside of me for that crooked and broken girl... not to be Sakura... yet... once more... life had conspired against me...
...
I felt myself sinking into my depression just by knowing that tiny, minuscule... bit of information...
...
'I'm sorry Sakura... I should've gone back for you...'
But as I was basking in my self-pity... something unexpected happened...
...
...
...
*Clank* *Clank*
...
...
...
"Ehh?"
I was a little unsure about what had just happened...
But out of the blue...
I had quite clearly heard a pair of metal items being shattered into pieces...
...
...
...
As I looked around for answers, all I was able to catch was Pietro, Callum, and Kira staring in awe, disbelief and fear combined...
Emphasis on the fear part...
Even Sakura's expression had contorted slightly...
...
I was still unsure of what it was... yet after I followed their lines of sight...
I finally became aware of the source of their desperation...
...
...
...
For an inexplicable reason...
Myria and Scarlet...
Had shattered their handcuffs...
As they both gritted their teeth and clenched their fists in anger...
...
You could feel an enormous amount of hate and killing intent being manifested around them...
It felt as if an intense pressure of death had been created in the atmosphere embracing us...
And, as I was plunged into confusion from the events unfolding before me...
I finally became aware of their reasoning as they spoke with an annoyed... and quite clearly... murderous tone...
"Hey Myria〜"
"Yes, Scarlet〜?"
"This girl is second-in-command of those who tortured... shunned... and killed Reika〜, right〜?"
"Un〜 She indeed is, Scarlet〜"
...
...
...
I could physically hear the teeth of Pietro clattering against each other from the spasms and trembles he was having out of sheer terror...
Furthermore, I could clearly picture how both Kira and Callum were pretty much silently screaming as they signaled me to stop my friends...
...
But it was far too late...
The moment I even tried opening my lios to utter a sentence...
Sakura immediately thrust her hand forward summoning an elegant snow-white staff filled to the brim with aquamarine crystals and other wonders... as she took a fighting stance...
...
...
...
I then turned to face both of my friends once more, but I was terrified seeing they weren't backing down...
In fact...
Myria was now wielding her bow...
And Scarlet had absurd amounts of demonic energy gathering at the palm of her hands...
...
'This is about to get out of hand...'
"GIRLS! STOP!!! STOP!!!!!"
But I guess... I was a just little too late...
Without even giving me a single more second to respond or prevent anything...
The three of them simultaneously began chanting...
"[Holy Beam...]"
"[Obscurum Chains...]"
"[Judgement Beam...]"
...
...
...
'I messed up...'