A Place To Fight

(zero)

Saya sprinted through the ruins of the devastated town, her boots scraping against the jagged rubble that littered the streets. The buildings around her lay in shambles, victims of the monster's relentless rampage. Her breaths came in ragged gasps through her gas mask, her heartbeat thundering in her chest.

The Anti-Kaiju weapon weighed heavily in her arms, its bulk making her muscles ache and her limbs feel leaden. Despite the Defense Force suit she wore, infused with kaiju muscle fibers designed to augment her strength and agility, she felt no such enhancement. Instead, she felt sluggish, her usual speed and agility hampered by the cumbersome weapon.

Frustration gnawed at her. She despised this sensation of weakness.

Before the test began, they had been briefed on their mission: kaiju neutralization. The objective was clear-eliminate all Yojus and destroy the Honju within fifteen minutes.

Now, here she was, dragging the heavy gun as she scanned for any sign of a Yoju. The rules were simple: survive, kill the monster, don't get killed.

"Hey! You over there!" A voice shouted from far ahead. Another participant, running at the front, was calling to her. "What's your name?!"

Ina ragged breath, Saya mutters "My name's S... Sa-"

"Move faster! You're dragging everyone down!"

The sharp comment stung, but Saya managed a strained, apologetic smile. "Sorry!" she called back.

It's true after all. Six minutes have passed since the test has started, and the amount of Kaiju killing Saya has made so far is zero. She barely able to lift the gun, and to make a damn shot is nearly impossible. The one shot she has made is a miss by several meters from the target.

"A yoju, at 3 o'clock!"

Saya lifted her gun, aiming at the Yoju. Others around her also raised their weapons, ready to unleash a barrage of fire. The Yoju was a monstrous creature, its skin a mottled grey, thick and leathery, with jagged spines running down its back. Its eyes glowed a sickly yellow, filled with a malevolent intelligence, and its maw was lined with razor-sharp teeth, each the size of a man's hand. Muscular and sinewy, it moved with a disturbing combination of agility and brute strength.

Saya fired a shot, but it missed by several meters, the bullet kicking up dust far from its target.

'Dang it, I missed again!' she fumed inwardly.

Her arms aching, she hefted the gun once more, her resolve hardening. She squeezed the trigger, and this time, the bullet struck the Yoju's leg. The recoil from the shot however, sent Saya stumbling backward and fell, the weight of the gun dragging her down. "ack!"

"Go for its neck!" someone shouted amidst the chaos.

'Yeah, shoot the neck. And I can't even hit its leg properly!' she thought bitterly.

Gritting her teeth, Saya struggled to her feet, ignoring the pain and exhaustion. She had to find a way to steady herself, to aim true. The yoju roared, advancing with terrifying speed, its glowing yellow eyes fixed on the group.

Someone kept shooting, hoping to slow its march, but the bullets barely fazed the creature. The yoju's roar was deafening, a sound that seemed to summon thunder and promise massacre.

"Gah! This Yoju is so hard to beat!"

"Move outta the way!" Everyone began running away from the monster's path, not wanting to be its victim of massacre.

"Woah!" Unfortunately, Saya's stucked fumbling with her gun, her knees buckling as she tried to steady herself. She pushed her sore arms to lift the weapon, but it felt impossibly heavy, as if the hilt was stuck to the ground by some unseen force. 'This damned gun! Move!'

Someone yelled. "Run!"

The yoju marched closer, and Saya's heartbeat pounded louder in her ears. Fear clawed at her, threatening to paralyze her. 'I cannot die! I cannot die!' She kept trying to lift the gun, her eyes locked on the hideous creature approaching her. Its mouth opened wide, ready to devour her in one bite.

"No-!"

The sight inside the yoju's mouth was horrifying. Its gnawing teeth and sharp canines were slick with saliva, ready to tear her apart. She could almost feel the hot, fetid breath on her skin, certain that this was her last moment.

But instead, she felt strong arms wrap around her, pulling her away from the creature's path. They fell to the side, tumbling over the rubble and out of immediate danger. Saya's breath caught in her throat as they landed, her pulse still racing with fear and adrenaline

"Gah!-"

The world spun, and Saya found herself on the ground. Her rescuer's weight pinning her down as her eyes dazedly gazed at the vast blue sky.

"Are you crazy?!" her rescuer shouted, his voice a mix of anger and relief. "You could've been killed!"

Saya blinked, disoriented, her heart still racing. She looked up to see a fellow participant, his face smeared with dirt and sweat, but his eyes burning with determination.

"Ah- s-sorry... I-"

"Are you even serious!?" He snapped

"I... what?"

"Does all this seem like a joke to you!? Everyone's fighting in this test! And what you've done is slowing others down!"

"I am not taking this lightly, and I do not take this test as a joke, mind you! Like all of you, I am trying to fight these things too!"

"Then instead of fumbling around like an idiot, you should've shot the Yoju!"

"I wish I could, but the gun's too heavy-"

"If you can't even lift a gun, THEN WHY ARE WEAKLINGS LIKE YOU HERE?!"

His voice reverberated across the street. Everyone around just awkwardly watched their exchange of words. Saya's chest tightened, her breath catching in her throat. She felt the weight of his accusation like a physical blow, the sting of his words cutting deeper than any yoju's claws.

She struggled to find her voice, to defend herself, but the words wouldn't come. She felt exposed, vulnerable, as if her deepest insecurities were laid bare for all to see.

Weak.

A word that undeniably fit her entire being. A hard truth she must swallow.

How she despised that word.

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Kaiju no 8 fanfic

My oc is based on a certain character