In thy bones By Yofune-Nushi
Summary: She always felt within her bones the quivers of life like the plucking of strings by fingers that she would always feel but never know.
She bit into her lower lip without even meaning to and didn't even feel the sticky substance of hard crimson flow down her chin and onward to continue staining her exposed neck.
Like the watcher of time itself, she always knew when the time was signified for everyone; all held within the divine unseeing hand of her all aware Innocence.
Tick, tick, tick…
The heartbeats of those she watches and holds become one to her and the rhythms that each breathes in and out feel as if lullaby they sing were hers as well. Her bones vibrate and the blood under her skin often feels like cool water flowing through out her hands and yet unable to really satisfy the thirst for anyone but one moment.
She can almost feel the nerves tapping and stretching their muscles as if they were her own while she kneels on the ground as if in an eternal prayer with head slightly ducked down and hands clutching together as if her heart were being held in the palms of her sweaty leather gloved hands. Her senses were numb to all but the time of her comrades clock pitter patters as she watched over them like mother who could only watch and hope the tourniquet she gave them would be strong enough to hold as they each governed the responsibility of their own lives as rightfully so.
Miranda…. It's time…
…I'm sorry; I know….I am so sorry…
I did what I could, you do what you must.
I'm sorry…that I couldn't do more…
You allowed me to live this moment, now allow me to forsake it before your own does.
She hums in a way that is not audible to any human ears and the body of figure before her falls and turns to ice as it becomes one with the earth that will never let it go as far as the Black Order is concerned and she once again resumes her posture of prayer to feel it all come undone.
The silence of the sound resonates like an alarm from a viola with strings in need of brandishing and she felt her own blood pour as the knowledge of knowing the blood of another of her comrades would never again know the feeling of blood oozing from their earthly shell. She could only open her eyes as she felt the time she had soaked into her self suddenly seep out as the tourniquet of time could not exist in the realm where it had no authority over.
Another time, another clock that would be useless forever; that clock would be burned and lick so savagely by the flames of rebellion against the Millennium Duke's wish making that no one would dare to assume otherwise that perhaps that had been the last and greatest stand for the soldiers of their known God to make.
Being useless doesn't mean worthless.
Still… she knew she wasn't god. She had not right to think that despite what wonder or credit Finders, Scientists, or even Exorcists may all feel to some extent at the creativity and ability her Innocence may provide. She can not stop the flow of time, only delay it. For life is something not made to exist forever on this world and she knows it was not meant to be.
One's life can be manipulated, attack, healed, loved, and hated. But never can it be controlled by any but the person's own self.
She will not stop death, she can not stop death; because sometimes that is the only way to save, and being useless against this is something that she has hardened herself to not be driven to extinction over.
She who must be admired
…Miranda
Miranda… that was her name and that was her meaning. She must be admired, she knows there are many things she must not, can not, be admired over, because she can be useless and even can not stop the flow of time though its powers flow through her grasp and heartfelt desires. But, she can apply the tourniquet with gentle ease and despite knowing she can not increase or decrease the flow of time, she can look at them with a smile now instead of the tears she feels over pouring and drowning in her heart and allow these people to have a chance at life even if it will be their last so that they may do what they must or want with perhaps a smile instead of tears.
Her heart aches, her hands feel numb; her mind is itching with over several dozen ticks and tocks singing from hundreds of seconds, minutes, and hours a time and she feels the rise and fall of them all.
She couldn't stop death, only delay it.
She was useless, but she was far from worthless.
Tick, tick, tick…tock…
Your time is up.
"In thy bones, you will always remain."
She says this prayer to herself, because she has felt every time and even when they leave this world to never be heard, Miranda will always remember ever single one and know that their was never one that was worthless as her heart and spirit records like a broken record each one that is engraved in her body like number upon the face of a grandfather's and she sings in a language that only she can hear and know the lyrics and hums to.
She always felt within her bones the quivers of life like the plucking of strings by fingers that she would always feel but never know.
You will be gone, but never will you be unfelt.
Your time is a very precious thing.
I know this very well.
Notes*
I have to say, out of all the Innocence I have seen; Miranda's is the one I would want to have the least. It's one of the most powerful and useful Innocence to be sure. But man you either have to be a blank slate or have nerves of steel to handle the pressure and responsibility of knowing you control everyone's time/wellbeing like that by possibly being the one slim chance out of hundred that could separate life and death in the middle of all that chaos.