For berryargento's UmiMaki week on tumblr.
Day 6: AU
"Come with me."
That was the only thing Maki was told when Eli returned. Usually the blonde was a bit nicer, never meaning for her words to come off as demanding. Maki didn't know what set her off this time, but she decided to follow. It was best not to question her.
Eli had changed in the past two weeks. Even during times of conflict like this, she never failed to give in to the worst of human emotions. She always stayed calm and rational. But Maki knew that her friend would never be the same.
Maki raised an eyebrow when they reached the entrance of a corridor she barely recognized; it wasn't a place that a doctor like her would visit very often. Whatever the cause for Eli's anger was, it couldn't be good.
As they kept walking, Maki inwardly cringed at the mixed smell of blood and sweat in the air. Standing next to Eli's and her torch only made the odor worse. Mostly everyone she saw was the same: the way they pulled their legs close to themselves, sitting with downcast eyes that shot up to look at her when she passed by.
How depressing.
The narrow corridor led to a spacious circular room that was completely unfamiliar to Maki. She looked around the room and saw that there were five doors equally spaced out along the edges. Maki was about to ask about the room when Eli answered her question for her, "They hold the dungeon's more dangerous prisoners."
Maki thought about why these separate rooms would be necessary, dreading the answer floating in the back of her head. Eli walked towards the second steel door without turning back to check if her friend was still following behind. She placed her free hand on the handle of the door.
"Are you sure you should be going in unarmed like that?"
"I'll be fine," Eli replied with certainty.
The door opened with a metallic creak, likely alerting the lone occupant. Eli stepped in the room with slightly heavier steps. as if she were refraining from stomping. Though Maki was a little paranoid that the prisoner could use this opportunity to initiate a preemptive strike, she was confident that Eli would protect them both.
Eli continued to head towards the back of the dimly lit room. Maki glanced at the unknown person as she lit the torches in the opposite two corners. When Eli stopped in front of the figure, Maki followed to get a closer look.
Judging from the length of the hair, it was a girl. She sat on the hard floor with her legs crossed, arms at her sides. The other girl's blue uniform was torn in multiple places, revealing equally numerous cuts. Maki couldn't see her expression since this person was looking downwards with bangs covering her face. Eli moved her flame closer to the girl sitting in front of her as if she were checking if she was awake. Maki's eyes widened in recognition of the dark blue hair. She knew who this person was.
"Enemy Commander, Sonoda Umi," Eli said coldly. The prisoner looked up at the mention of her name, returning the blonde's stare.
"Is there something I can do for you, Ayase Eli?"
Not even two seconds passed before Eli swung. Her fist made contact with Umi's cheek, the force of the blow playfully moving the flame in her other hand before it became steady again.
Maki didn't react. Rather, she didn't know how to. Eli was always lecturing her to not let emotions get the best of her, yet Eli herself is going back on her own words. The doctor watched as her friend pulled up the unresisting prisoner by her shirt collar.
"You…" It was apparent through her tone that Eli was seething with anger. Her grip tightened around the fabric as she spat out, "You killed her."
Umi's passive expression didn't change as she said, "I've killed lots of people."
Eli didn't respond immediately. Instead, she turned to the silent spectator. "Maki, don't stop me unless your medical instincts deem that her life is in danger." Without waiting for a reply, Eli roughly threw Umi onto the ground.
Umi took a moment to readjust. She barely lifted herself an inch off the ground when she felt her arm slam into the cold surface of the floor again. Her eyes instinctively shut at the sudden pain. When she opened them, she saw Eli's boot pressing down on the joint at her elbow.
Eli didn't miss the small flicker of fear in the person under her. She smiled at her superiority as she increased the pressure of her foot, not paying attention to the weak arm desperately grasping her leg. Umi's sounds of pain only spurred her on.
Maki knew Eli's intention, and she didn't like it. "What are you trying to do!" she said, placing a hand on the other girl's shoulder. Eli didn't look at her; she kept her eyes focused on Umi.
"Didn't you hear what I said? Is her life at risk?"
Maki's grip on Eli's shoulder loosened. "N-No. But-"
There was a sickening crack before Umi let out an ear-piercing scream. The sound sent chills down Maki's spine, and she knew that it would haunt her later.
Maki removed her hand from Eli, still in shock that her friend actually did such a thing. It wasn't just that. She was laughing. Maki directed her gaze towards Umi, silently watching the girl's trembling body.
"Why did you have to do that?" she asked, slightly raising her voice.
Eli stepped back from Umi, turning to regard Maki. "It was necessary. To prevent retaliation." What scared Maki the most was that Eli's tone was perfectly normal. She was sane, carrying out her actions as if they were natural.
"She wasn't even fighting back!" Maki pointed to Umi, who was trying to relieve the pain in her broken limb by placing her good arm on the area of injury. She was met with an indifferent response, "You never know. I just made sure she can't anymore."
A moment of silence ensued, broken every so often by Umi's uneven breaths. The stillness in the room disappeared as Eli went over to the table on the side. Maki felt a sense of anxiety when she saw a thin leather whip in the blonde's hand.
Umi had gotten herself into a sitting position, still clutching her arm. She noticed her attacker approaching but didn't look up.
"Sonoda Umi. I will never forgive you."
Maki didn't know what to do. She knew that Eli's anger was justified to a certain extent, but she wondered whether her friend's actions were acceptable.
"You will pay for taking Nozomi's life. But don't worry," Eli smiled, "Doctor Nishikino will make sure you don't die." Maki felt guilty once she was mentioned. Even though she wasn't directly causing harm, she was watching.
Eli raised her weapon, bringing it down with all of her might and releasing pent-up frustration on the helpless person below her. The loud crack startled Maki, but she couldn't bring herself to look away no matter how hard she tried. If she wasn't carefully watching Eli, there would be a possibility that Umi would not live to see the next day. There was no telling what the mentally unstable Eli would do now. Maki's fingers curled into a fist as she tried to refrain from speaking.
Each strike sent a pang in Maki's chest for reasons she wasn't entirely sure of. As a doctor, it was appalling to see someone deprive another of life, continuously beating them into submission. She was used to the groans and screams of patients, but this was different. Umi's cries echoed within the room in the purest form of agony. No matter how painful the process, Maki's patients had hope in that their suffering would end; Umi wasn't sure if Eli would ever let her go.
Eli didn't stop, even when the fabric of Umi's jacket started to tear from the repeated lashes. Her whip started to make contact with skin, and that was when the sounds increased in volume. Maki caught a glimpse of blood splattering onto the floor from the movements of the whip. Eli gave no signs of stopping, and that was where Maki drew the line. She moved towards Eli, reaching her arm out to her, but stopped halfway. She hesitated,but her mind was pressing her to continue, to stop her friend from torturing the enemy.
"Eli, that's enough." Maki didn't know what she sounded like, but she hoped that she kept a steady voice. After all, there should be no reason for her to waver.
The blonde looked disappointed, but decided to listen. Maki knew that the main reason why she stopped inflicting damage was because Eli had caused Umi to pass out, and there was no point in beating an unconscious person. She watched as Eli went to get the bucket of water near the table. Maki figured that its purpose was to clean the weapons after they were done, but she was wrong.
Eli dumped the entire bucket on Umi's lifeless figure, startling her awake. She towered over her, staring down the other girl who shivered at the cold.
"Hey, Sonoda. Do you believe in God?"
No response. But it was to be expected.
"Because no one's going to be able to save you." She tossed the container to the side, its clattering the only noise in the room before Eli walked out the door.
Maki understood Eli's silent glance. She was entrusted with the task of looking after Umi, not unlike that of a cleanup group.
She walked towards the prisoner and kneeled down to inspect the damage, subtly asking for permission by extending a hand. Umi looked up at her and took her offer.
Umi winced at the way Maki gently felt her arm, but tried to contain her voice. She couldn't care less that she was practically half naked in front of someone who was her enemy, merely relieved that her suffering ended, even if for a bit.
"I'll do what I can when I come back with my proper tools, but don't do anything stupid," Maki muttered. Umi nodded. Without her stuff, Maki could do very little. She took off her white lab coat, using it to clean off some of the blood all over Umi's body.
"Do you… remember me?" It was something Maki wanted to ask ever since she recognized her, but she never found the appropriate time to since Eli was in the room.
"Nishikino Maki," Umi's voice came out slightly hoarse from the previous exertion, "we met at your army's camp."
Maki nodded, a bit surprised that Umi didn't forget. At that time, Umi's army had invaded them, successful to the point where they reached Maki's camp while she was still looking after the injured. At that time…
"You spared me. And all of those soldiers," she recalled.
Umi didn't confirm or deny, only replying with, "It is not in my nature to kill the helpless. That is all."
In that moment, Maki thought that someone like Umi was unsuited for war, despite her skill in battle. There was something about her, that pure kindness that she showed to her enemies. And that left Maki wondering.
"Did Nozomi do something?"
Umi shook her head. She looked down with a bitter expression. "I heard that she killed my comrade, but it's not like anyone is at fault here. We can't help it; we do what we can to survive and win this war."
War was a cruel thing, Maki thought. It just pits people against each other, and only grief is born. It was not uncommon for a situation like Eli's to happen. People lose their loved ones to war all the time, only breeding hatred and continuing a cycle of hate.
This person recognized that. Maybe if they met under different circumstances…
"It's not something to look forward to, but we'll be seeing each other pretty often from now on."
"I'll be in your care."
Eli's behavior didn't change. She never let up in her retribution against Umi. She was simply too blinded the fact that her lover was gone forever, perishing at the hands of the person right in front of her. Maki was worried for her, worried that Eli would never be able to accept life without Nozomi. But she didn't know how to help.
Maki stepped into the room, slightly alarmed by the increased amount of blood on the floor and by the stillness of Umi's figure. She always feared that the commander wouldn't wake up. That was why she made sure to accompany Eli to the dungeon when she could..
She walked over to Umi quicker than usual, frantically shaking her awake. A low groan escaped Umi's lips, and Maki sighed in relief.
This was getting out of control. Eli would head down here without telling her sometimes, like she didn't want to be interrupted. She would use Umi as stress relief when she felt troubled or when she had dreams of her deceased lover.
Noticing the pained look in her caretaker's eyes, Umi raised a hand and rested it on Maki's cheek. "It'll be okay," she whispered.
No, it wasn't okay. Her best friend is deep in depression and uses violence as an answer, the target of which is her savior. Choosing to stand by and watch was taking a mental toll on her. Maki didn't know how much longer she could continue this, keeping someone alive just so that person can be beaten again and again.
"Maki," Umi smiled, "break the cycle of suffering."
The solution was always there. They both knew it. But it was something Maki absolutely did not want to do. Because doing so would mean never seeing Umi again. She wanted to keep hearing her voice, to abuse her authority as a doctor to touch her, to hold her in her arms like she was doing now.
Maki shook her head as she repressed the tears threatening to spill over. Umi held Maki's hand in hers as a sign of reassurance, "You'll free her as well."
The next few minutes were spent in silence. Both occupants enjoyed each other's company one last time before Maki left to make preparations. When she returned, Umi was standing there, waiting for her.
Umi's eyes never left Maki even as the latter looked away from her. She took the bowl, analyzing its contents before she offered Maki a final smile.
"Farewell."