Ink as Red as Blood
A Splatoon Fanfic
By: TrueLordOfSplatoon
Foreword: This is the full, uncensored story of Carmine Rouge, Agent 10. If you didn't read chapter 9 of Dual Fates, then TW: Child Abuse.
The First Time
Carmine was Three. She could walk, talk, and had attained her "young" stage body. Of course, she hadn't yet gained the ability to change forms, but… her parents wished she magically could. Her father, Roberto Rouge, was a rich man who had never fought a turf war in his life, and her mother, Rosa Rouge, had only done a turf war once. There wasn't as much as a splattershot Jr. in the house. There was, however, an antique, Great Turf War Mk I Bamboozler, made of actual bamboo. It was the same one that Lt. Seymour V. Rouge had used to break the Octarian line in the battle of the Calamari Canal, and had been passed down from generation to generation. Carmine didn't know that. She simply knew that the kids on the tv had guns like it.
Her father had been drinking that day. A fine bottle of 10 year old scotch. Back from the good ol' days… then he heard the tell-tale snap. A snap that wasn't wood or plastic. A snap that definitely came from above the mantle. He ran to the ballroom. And saw what she had done.
When Rosa got home, he told her of how he caught Carmine playing with it, how it had broke while he was putting it back and had tripped. He didn't tell her about the bloody nose she had, or how she didn't get it from falling. Nor did he tell he about the bruises on Carmine's back.
The Fourth Time
Carmine was now eight, regularly attending school. She did less well than her parents had hoped, and they didn't enroll her in the turf-war prep school. Instead, she would go to law school, possibly land a job at Spruce & Co offices. Then, she failed her first test. And her second one. And her third, and her fourth, et cetera. Rosa and Roberto were more than confused. She did 3 hours of studying in her room every day. So one day, Rosa went up to check on her while she studied. And to her surprise, Carmine wasn't there. Needless to say, they went out and found her- at the mall, watching the turf wars. No wonder she was failing. Rosa made very sure that every time Carmine wanted to sneak out, a quick glance at her now-burned wrist would deter her. The bars on her window also made it more than challenging.
The Thirteenth Time
Carmine was fourteen. And before she could intercept, Rosa found the check containing her months winnings. Carmine ran out of the house, bleeding from her nose and numerous scratches, scrapes and bruises. When asked about it, she said one of the then-infamous "Splatling Sentinels" took it. Her teammates… didn't believe her.
The Final Straw
Roberto had heard something. He had heard a window open. So he searched the whole house… well, almost the whole house. But Carmine's window was barred. Regardless, he figured he should ensure she wasn't trying to sneak out. She was 16, and 16 year olds sneak out quite a lot. But when he opened the door, his ink boiled. She was in bed. The window was closed. But the bars had been tampered with, attached to a hidden hinge. And sleeping in her bed was another inkling. A male inkling. And it was easy to put 2 and 2 together. He grabbed her by the tentacles and dragged her downstairs. But before he could grab the fire poker and give her wrists another painful reminder, Morado awoke. He and Carmine fled, and when her parents tried to force her back, Morado threatened to get the police involved. Many a night they discussed her scars. Despite what her parents believed, she remembered every single one. It took three years to go over them all. For 5 years, she lived with Morado. And in those 5 years, her wrist marks finally started fading.
Author's Note: I'm not dead! I've just been… busy. I gots new dog, started my Grad year, went through a break-up, partied, and couldn't figure out a fitting end to the first arch. Sorry.
Additional Author's Note: I was starting to wonder why nobody had read thus. Guess I forgot to upload it. My bad, here's a free Kirby. (^.^)