47 Yuki Sai - Part 4 (1/2)
”Huff! Huff!” Yuki's lungs and eyes strung badly. She could barely see several meters ahead of herself. 'Why am I trying so hard?' She wondered. 'Just to save a boy I just met? One I barely know?' She stumbled as her vision darkened. Then she quickly slammed her foot into the ground to catch herself. 'Have to keep moving!'
'Technology will save the world someday! I'm going to use it to defeat the nightmares!' She chuckled to herself as she thought back to those words of the boy. It felt like long ago, despite it having only been half a day since they met. 'He's so naive, but he gave me hope. I want to save him!'
Suddenly, a roar rang out. A green mutant appeared in front of her. It was a 3-meter-long tiger. The nearby flames didn't seem to bother it as green smoke floated off its body. It growled before pouncing towards her.
'Ugh!' She quickly rolled out of the way while returning a fist to the left side of the mutant's ribs. However, no damage was dealt. Instead, she only felt her fist throb. A tiny amount of blood trickled down her hand. The green smoke of the mutant had damaged it. Fortunately, the green smoke was relatively weak and the wound likely wouldn't leave any permanent damage.
The tiger prepared to pounce again. She quickly prepared to defend herself as best she could. Suddenly, a white light covered the area. Then a fist slammed through the head of the tiger.
”Dad!” She yelled excitedly as she saw the figure covered in light.
”Not quite.” The light faded, revealing a mostly unfamiliar esper. ”You've got some guts. Running away from me is one thing, but to run through the streets in this situation. Did your father drive the common sense out of your head?”
”Ah, it's you.” She replied while disappointed. It was the esper that had promised her father to protect her.
”Let's go.” He grabbed her by the arm.
”AHH! She screamed in horror while pointing forward. The esper turned around in confusion before his eyes widened as well. A series of small meteors were heading right for them. They were so numerous as to blot out the sky.
”DAMNIT!” He yelled. The white glow reappeared over his body. He placed a hand on Yuki's shoulder and the white light spread to her as well. ”My power strengthens the body of whomever I place it on.” He quickly explained. ”There's a time-limit for other people. The more people I assign it to, the more divided my power becomes. It's already at half-strength between the two of us. Prepare to dodge as many as you can!”
”Right!” She nodded in affirmation. The man let go and the two split up. It would be harder to dodge right next to each other.
”Ugh!” Yuki ground her teeth as she dodged to the side. Some lava from a nearby meteor splashed onto her. However, the light kept it at bay. 'This feeling... It's amazing!' Her body had never felt so light and strong before. She moved quicker than ever before. Her years of martial arts training finally felt like it paid off as she evaded the meteors.
Suddenly, a tall building came crashing towards her. She remained calm and easily ran backwards to avoid it. Large piles of dust and flame shot into the air as it blocked the street. She was now trapped, not that there was really any way to outrun the meteors anyways.
”Yuki!” A voice yelled. She turned to look at the esper that had helped her. He ran towards her. ”What did you do to the power I gave you?!” He questioned while avoiding the meteors. Craters appeared in the street all around him as he jumped between the stable areas of the street.
”What did I do?” She looked at her hands in confusion. Then her eyes widened in shock. The white light had almost completely faded.
The esper quickly caught up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder again. The light on her body lit up once more, while the light on his body faded a bit in color. ”My power should have lasted for at least an hour. What's happening?”
She thought for a moment before speaking, ”It should be my yin constitution. It's interfering somehow!”
”You're what?!” The esper asked in confusion. The light on Yuki's body had already started fading again. It likely wasn't strong enough to withstand the repeated meteors flying towards them anymore.
Suddenly, they felt a shadow cover them. The two looked up and their eyes widened in horror. They didn't even try to run, for they knew it was hopeless. A giant meteor made up of lava was heading for them. The earlier meteors were like pebbles in comparison.
The esper glanced at Yuki and seemed to hesitate for a moment. Then his eyes hardened with resolve. He placed both hands on her shoulder while standing in front of her. ”Tell your father that my debt has been paid. The interest is free of charge.” He tried to smile to comfort her. The white light on his body flowed towards Yuki. He forcefully created more and more of the light. His body started to wither as he did so. Wrinkles appeared on his skin and his hair turned gray.
”Stop!” She yelled. ”You're over-exhausting your mana! Do you want to die?!”
”This is the only way to save you.” He sighed.
”Just run away and leave me behind!” She protested.
”Do you think I can outrun that?” He grinned. ”Remember. The best way to thank somebody that saves you is to live your life to the fullest.” One final large burst of white light exploded from his body and entered her own. His body turned into motes of white light that formed a brilliantly shining shield in front of Yuki.
She stared stupidly at the meteor as it headed towards her. Soon, it slammed into the barrier. The ground shook heavily as all the nearby buildings toppled to the ground. A large crater appeared on the ground. It spanned hundreds of meters. The barrier lasted for several moments before dispersing. It had deflected the worst of the damage. She now stood atop a tall strip of land that survived thanks to the barrier. She was trapped due to the steep slopes that led down to the crater beneath her. The brilliant white light still covered her body as it protected her from the flames, heat, and smoke.
She fell to her knees as stared at the damage around her. 'It's all my fault! It's all my fault he died! If I had just listened. If I hadn't run away!' Tears poured down her face as she sobbed. The white light from the esper was still being absorbed into her body. It felt warm. So incredibly warm.
Suddenly, it felt like something clicked into place within her mind and body. An explosion of power occurred within her mana-core. White and black snow began to float down all around her. The flames were quickly extinguished by the strange snow. The snow naturally formed into a yinyang pattern that swirled slowly around her.