Nira Seritoka was dead. The words hammered themselves into her mind. A youth whose light had been suddenly snuffed out. Despairing brown orbs gazed upon the falling, crimson ribbon. Bright red, energetic ... the very shade of their blood. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the object. It seemed so harmless ... so nondescript ... it was cruel. Cruelly taunting them with every gentle motion. The simple, lone reminder that one of their own had fallen prey to the enemy. Gone without a trace, leaving no body behind. Just the ribbon, nothing more.

Nira Seritoka was dead.

Four words. Four little words that had utterly engulfed her consciousness. Nao couldn't hear the others through the rush of blood to her head, through the rapid beating of her heart. One of them had died. Died. She had vowed to protect them all, and one of them had died. She had utterly failed in that regards. Failed to fulfil her duty. Failed to save somebody. Failed to save [i]Nira Seritoka[/i].

She sucked in a breath.

One of them was dead.

Any of the others could die.

She could die.

[right][i]She didn't want to die.[/i][/right]

She was scared. She had failed. She was frightened.

Her attempts at following her oath to protect the others had failed to borne fruit. She was no heroic figure. She was no defender.

Ha.

Haha.

Her fists clenched tightly.

Haha.

Ha ...

"[color=a36209]That would be logical,[/color]" said Nao, voice a tight monotone.

Mechanical, even.

"[color=a36209]Greater caution in pursuit of that man will prevent us from further harm,[/color]" she continued, an artificial professionalism falling over her. Yet it was quite obvious to all that there was a dullness to each and every word that was leaving her mouth.

She wasn't crying.

She couldn't cry.

She would shut them down.

Shut it all down.