Borderline

Sakura slowly opened her eyes in the emptiness.

Hurt… It’s hurt… She could barely move her body. Her limbs hung at her sides in the hollow space around her. The tenshi-chi couldn’t remember much before she came to this point. Am I going to be lost here forever?

Outside, the fallen beast’s head began to hurt. She buried her head in her hands. Her screaming was loud enough to shake the sky. Above, the angels couldn’t grasp what they were witnessing.

“My lord,” a newly-made angel spoke up. “What’s happening?” The lead administrator looked out her telescope. She raised an eyebrow at the screaming monster.

“I’m not really sure,” she admitted. “Antonio!” A tan-colored angel rushed to her side.

“Yes, ma’am?” he asked.

“What are we witnessing here?” the boss asked. Antonio took the telescope and looked through it himself. His eyes widened in shock.

“It can’t be!” he gasped.

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Why am I hurting? Sakura felt the pain twisting in her chest. Her eyes rolled towards the empty sky. What is this place? The pain twisted deeper into her heart. The tenshi-chi drew in hard breaths as she narrowed her eyes. I can’t be here. How do I get back? Why won’t this pain go away? Please let me go. Take me back. I have to go home! What is this? Take me home! Take me back! Let me go! Can anyone hear me out there?

“You can’t be here!”

Sakura drew her eyes closed. But how do I get back?

“If you stay here, you will be swallowed up and die!”

But how do I get back? Take me back! Take me back! Sakura let out a voiceless scream as the pain grew in her chest.

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“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Antonio said.

“What do you mean?” the leader asked. Her second-in-command turned to her with big eyes.

“The tenshi-chi is trapped in the borderline,” he answered. His boss gave him a puzzled look.

“The borderline?” she asked. “You don’t mean…?”

“Yes,” Antonio said. “This type of phenomenon is quite rare when the shin heart activates. I’ve only seen it happen twice.”

“What happened to them?” the new angel asked. Antonio lowered his head.

“They both died agony from the physical and mental pain,” he said.

“Well, how long until they come out the borderline?” his boss asked. The second-in-command shrugged his shoulders back.

“It’s hard to pinpoint,” he answered. “Sometimes it takes days or weeks. I have even heard that it could take close to half a month.”  That was all the leader needed to hear. She turned and walked to the war room.

“Ma’am?” Antonio asked. “Where are you going?”

“Where else?” the boss asked. “I have to go and stop Sakura before she becomes fully fallen!”

“You can’t mean that you would go that far!” he shouted, following behind. His boss glanced over her shoulder at him.

“What choice do we have?” she asked. “This would at least be more merciful.” Antonio frowned as she disappeared further down the hall. Her actions might cause more hurt than good, he thought. He chased after her in spite of how he felt about this plan.