New A/N: Welcome back. I took this story down before because of two reasons: general dissatisfaction and professional disgust. I mean, it's a hate fic basically. But, after speaking to the one it insulted I've changed my mind. Took the chance to edit it a bit too.
Old A/N: A bit of explanation first. Theres a legend (probably apocryphal) that claims that several successful Roman generals had special consultants in their inner circle. Whenever they won a major battle or conquered a new area, while the general was being showered with praise this special man would whisper "you're not a god, you're not superhuman. You're just a man, remember that."
Look, I know that I'm not very good as a writer. In truth I'm squarely in the average, maybe even below. Despite the praise I've received for my stories, I know full well that I could've done better. But, it can still go to my head. So I embrace Humility. A byproduct of this is self depreciation. To laugh at myself, and for others to do so. Its meant to keep me grounded in reality instead of floating in narcissism. I do good, but there's always improvement to do.
That said, this doesn't mean I like being mocked. If its in good taste, I'll give you props for doing it. If its large or elaborate, props for effort. Neither however? Not cool bruh, not cool. So when someone does this, like Acidika's second to last chapter of his story Silence (if you don't know what I'm taking about take a break to check it out, I'll wait), well, what to do? Quoth my boss "I don't get mad, I get even." To a certain someone specifically:
Paybacks a bitch.
xXx
Leaves innumerable rustled with the windy day, compounding a brisk chill that the blazing sun couldn't quite cancel out. Unconsciously the teen clutched her windbreaker closer to her, internally cursing the chilly spring day, like most of the city's residents. For an April day, prime spring weather under most other conditions, it was rather chilly. As a result, not many other people were out on the suburb streets like she was. A gust of wind ruffled her mop of blonde hair, making her shiver.
Ultimately however, it was just another Saturday day to fifteen year old Sherry Birkin. Walking down the street to a meeting with her friend Jake Muller at a local mall, she asked once again herself why she didn't try to bum a ride from her father. True, it was his day off from work at the pharmacy, and after he just got over a nasty cold too. Not to mention rising gas prices lately. But all the same, she could've used the colder weather as a pretext, maybe tossing in a promise to help with grocery shopping the next time he did it.
At the same time, he could use the sound argument of "getting exercise" to say no. She thought up a far fetched plan of claiming she would catch a cold herself under the current conditions, but her quick mind refuted that one as well. Common colds were caused by indoor exposure, the mall she was supposed to meet up at was an open air one, anti-congestions, et cetera. Basic knowledge that he knew, and could easily use against her. In the end, Sherry had to accept the inevitable.
She stopped at a crosswalk for a moment, sweeping her head to both sides of the road for traffic. In the process she saw a grand total of four other people waiting at the same spot, each one bundled up as much (or more) like she was. There was a heavily wrinkled old man that nonetheless had a friendly countenance, and a group of three teenagers. One was black, two were white, all were quietly chatting amongst themselves. Though less than ten feet away she could hear nothing but intelligible noise from them. The wind erratically whipping around didn't help.
The red hand symbol clicked off, replaced by an angular, poorly drawn blue person miming walking. A car pulled up to the light right after it changed. Peeking over, she could see the driver through the windshield throw his arms up in frustration. Seeing something she didn't like, Sherry upped her pace a notch. In the process she ended up close to the boys, close enough to hear one of them mutter "asshole" to himself.
Just like Jake would do, Sherry thought, unable to stop herself from grinning from the thought.
At a glance an observer would have a hard time believing that she, a somewhat quiet but generally normal girl with above average grades (an IQ in the early hundreds had that effect), could be friends with Jake Muller. He was a year older than her, was bigger, stronger, and far more intimidating than she could ever be. Practically every teacher at their school regarded the boy with suspicion, and not without good reason. Compare him to to her, who only missed out on the 'teacher's pet' label by avoiding sucking up.
She came from a decent home; her mother worked for the Tricell corporation doing research overseas while her father ran a pharmacy. Though they could be distant at times, she knew for a fact that they loved and cared for her. Jake on the other hand was all but a poster child for dysfunctional. His unmarried mother worked two jobs, rarely keeping one for more than a few months. His father was dead; old man Wesker (as he stubbornly referred to him) met his end on a drug deal gone bad many years earlier. From all that she'd heard about him, that was strangely an improvement.
The two couldn't be more different. Yet by some quirk of fate, they were fast friends. They met sometime in the first grade, she couldn't quite remember the circumstances that brought them together, and had been tight ever since. Though sharing nothing in common, Sherry and Jake hung out together as often as possible. It was mostly because of him that she was out on this cold day.
She helped him curb his more destructive habits, such as bullying. Whenever his newest date went bad, she was always there to help. If he needed assistance on schoolwork, she was always available. It was thanks to her that the closest he'd ever come to drugs was a puff of marijuana years ago. In return he kept other bullies away, coaxed her into socializing more, and occasionally roped her into things that she never would've tried otherwise, like the local amusement park. It went back and forth, each supporting the other.
Loose talk around school wondered if there was something more to it than mere friendship however. Something Sherry was quick to put to rest. Not that she would've really minded being with him like that; it had crossed her mind repeatedly to try for a more serious relationship. In the end though she passed. She had seen many friends like them go down that path, only to get torn apart when trouble inevitably came their way.
In spite of that she made a mental note to get him something nice the next chance she got, and to ignore his protests. Perhaps the newest Ghost in the Shell movie, based off of the recent Stella arc in the manga. He rather brazenly claimed how much he didn't care for the 'japanese crap' that she enjoyed, so she had repeatedly 'forgotten' her manga or DVDs at his place. He always returned them, several days to weeks later. She knew full well the extent of his 'dislike' of it, so she planned to 'accidentally' leave the movie with him.
She glanced away, towards the modest Raccoon city skyline lining the far distance. Smiling, Sherry wondered what the quintessential problem child was putting up with. Waiting in line for close to an hour perhaps, dealing with multiple varieties of nerds vying for the same thing. She could easily picture him in his favorite black jacket, standing in the center of the game store surrounded by geeks, trying desperately to not appear bothered.
As an avid gamer and off-and-on anime fan, she knew that the city she called home was used as the model for the Biohazard franchise. Having played every one of the games, she found that, with just a few excusable errors, Capcom replicated the city in great detail. Even going so far as to use the name and likeness of the cop (with his permission of course, though he was allegedly sore about his personality in the game) that escorted them on their tour, now police captain Leon Kennedy.
Her knowledge of the series was almost encyclopedic. There was a movie production years earlier that was never released because its production company went under. And that there were nine other titles in the series now. And that Capcom released the newest title in the series just that day. Biohazard VII, which included a revamped multiplayer she was anxious to give a try. And that her friend had went to buy her a copy before they were sold out. She was on her way to reimburse him for it, as well as just hanging out with him.
Sherry checked her surroundings, only to discover that she was alone. Frowning, she glanced around the streets. As close as she was to the city itself, there would be people out doing their own things in spite of the weather. She sighed under her breath when she spotted a few others, though no one else on her sidewalk bizarrely. Only a lonely street bench broke the straight path down a full block. Being alone in a public place made her nervous, fearful that something would happen.
"Its okay, nothing to get worked up over" she murmured to herself. Just in case she patted her pocket, where the reassuring weights of her cellphone and her switchblade rested. The former was a birthday present from her parents, the latter was the same from Jake. The fact that the latter was illegal in the state made her nervous, but she had to admit, flipping out the six inch knife was a special thrill.
At the curb she checked the street sign, relieved that she was still in the right area. She traced an imaginary path in midair, mentally going over directions. After a moment she nodded to herself, mostly certain of where she was and where to go from there. Unless the girl was deeply mistaken, she was less than a couple of miles from the mall. She calculated a route and a timetable, checking her watch to be sure. Sherry nodded in satisfaction and checked her surroundings once more.
And did a double take at the tall man in black standing just a few feet behind her.
Sherry was startled; she hadn't even heard him approach. She blinked and forced herself to calm down, reminding herself that not everyone she met was a threat. At the same time however, she couldn't stop herself from gawking at his appearance. Military boots, black leather pants, a black leather overcoat, a pale complexion, and strikingly white hair. With his hands in his pockets and neutral stare forwards at nothing else but her, he looked like he just stepped off of a comic book cover. The particular type that was filled with blood and murder. Something about him tugged at her memory, though she wasn't sure what it was.
"Miss Birkin, correct?" he asked, with a discernible Russian accent. His eyes bored into her own, and she unconsciously began to quiver.
"Yes I'm Sherry Birkin. Um, who are you?" she asked back, fear coloring her tone despite her best efforts. The stranger grinned, making her involuntarily shiver.
"Who I am is irrelevant. What matters is what you are" he said enigmatically. Sherry frowned.
"I'm sorry, what I am?" she asked confusedly. His grin didn't change as he reached into his jacket to pull something out from under his arm to hold up to the spring sunlight. Her breath caught in her throat; It was a gun.
"Lunch" he said viciously, leveling the weapon at her.
Her entire world stopped. The internal question of his words came to a screeching halt. Everything else faded away, from the chill in the air to the distant noise of cars. All that Sherry consisted of boiled down to two facts: the man in black that had a gun trained on her, and the single remaining coherent thought that ran circles through her mind at high speed.
I'm going to die here, she thought. She was going to die on a chilly spring day to some random man that she had never seen before and was never going to see anyone she loved or cared for ever again. Smirking, the stranger pulled the trigger.
Sherry yelped in pain, more out of shock than anything else. The oddly quiet gunshot (she was certain guns were incredibly loud in real life) impacted her in the arm, and she had clutched it immediately. Trembling in horror, she shakily lifted her hand to see the extent of the damage. She blinked uncomprehendingly at the clean patch of windbreaker.
Fear had clouded her mind, but as she began to analyze the wound it occurred to her that the pain was fading fast. In fact, she thought the sensation was uncomfortably familiar. It felt disturbingly similar to an airsoft sting, which she had experienced with Jake last summer. Back then he convinced her to go with him to his cousin's home in the country and later got her to play war with the latter's collection of such toys. One painful shot made her call it quits for that game.
She numbly looked back at the still smiling man, just in time to see her unlikely savior.
"Hey!" screamed a voice. The stranger's vicious smirk was replaced by an entirely different expression than what she was expecting: excitement. He turned around to the direction of the speaker, but he kept the gun trained on Sherry. She did take the chance to lean to the side a bit to see who could be yelling. Instead of the cop that she was hoping for, it looked to be a young woman.
"Yuuki!" the man said friendlily. The running woman slowed down just enough to crash into the man, initiating a short struggle for the gun. Sherry put serious thought into taking the chance to run, but she was still frightened, not to mention curious about who had helped her. That and watching the two fight had her undivided attention.
"Don't worry dear, I was just getting you something to ea-hmmph" the man's oddly casual tone during the struggle was cut off by the girl shoving something in his mouth. She kept up the fight (yet ignoring the gun entirely) for several more seconds before pushing back. The man in black staggered for a moment, his gun swinging errantly. He gulped.
"Yuuki, you know that I already had one of t-those...those...piilllls..." he trailed off. The man's voice became slurry and indistinct, and he staggered. His piercing blue eyes drooped despite his efforts, to go with his sudden lack of coordination. He tried to regain his balance, but whatever it was that she had put in his mouth was affecting him. The best he managed was a delayed fall backwards.
The girl suddenly stomped towards him, turning her head to Sherry to bark "help me!"
Seeing as this unknown girl had just saved her life, she wasn't inclined to say no. She hesitantly rushed to his side, opposite of the girl's. She put a hand on his shoulder and one on his chest, which Sherry copied. Together they half guided half pushed the weakening attacker back, towards the park bench she ignored earlier. Though she wasn't trying to the man ended up collapsing onto it. Unfortunately he fell her way, and it was all she could do to keep him from smacking the bench. The best she could manage was to semi-gently set his head down.
While she lowered it, she got the chance to feel his white hair. Even occupied as she was, she was stunned at the feel of it. It wasn't thick or luxurious like many others (including her own) was. Instead it felt thin and wispy, reminding her of her deceased grandfather's long ago. As close as she was, she got the chance to see the roots of his scalp. Only a few strands had any weak coloring to them, just a faint blond. She was mystified at it, like everything else that had happened.
Sherry hesitantly rose back to her feet, feeling needles rake her legs. In a little more than a minute the killer-to-be was sound asleep on the park bench, oblivious to the world. Now that her life wasn't in danger she could see him clearly. He had a rugged handsomeness to him, but there were dark circles under his eyes and a day old stubble on his chin. Adding that to what little she knew about him only served to confuse her further. Brushing aside her questions, she turned to her savior, still standing over him.
"What?" she said under her breath. In contrast to the man, she recognized the girl immediately.
"Th fuck you looking at?" she snapped at her staring. Sherry blinked, coming up with a name at once: Yuuki Darkwood.
The sixteen year old was easily six feet tall. She was slightly thick, though there was far more muscle than fat. Her skin was white, but the shape of her face heavily implied asian ancestry. Asymmetrical slivery hair went as far as her shoulders, with one side noticeably longer. She wore black leather almost everywhere: a biker jacket, a corset (in defiance of the weather), pants, and boots. She could see what looked like lidded eye tattoos on her forehead, and a few lines of another on what little of her shoulder that she could see. Her cerulean eyes were practically a match for the unconscious man. According to rumor, she was half Russian, half Japanese, and fluent in both languages. Their curses especially.
"Sorry sorry. Um, thank you" Sherry hesitantly said. The girl huffed.
Yuuki was rather infamous at school. She had a well deserved reputation for rudeness, bullying, and foul language, which was part of the reason she was booted off the swimming team (according to rumor anyway). Even Jake in the worst of his bullying career was leery of crossing her. She was a lesbian too, and a vocal one at that. It was rare that her girlfriend lasted more than a week before she dumped them though. Occasionally, in spite of the aforementioned preference, she would go out with a lucky boy to break the monotony. They tended to last even less than the girls, practically never breaking up with her without an injury or two. Most of the student body hated her, but feared her much more.
"He didn't do anything did he?" Yuuki asked curtly.
"Um" Sherry looked away, debating whether to tell her about the attempted cannibalism or the actual shooting "he, um, shot me" she admitted. She was forcibly reminded why no sane individual wanted to cross her.
Instead of another uncaring grunt that she was expecting, the silver haired girl widened her eyes and mouth to little circles. In the blink of an eye she was upon Sherry, grabbing her shoulders hard enough to hurt.
"Where! How bad!?" Yuuki demanded. If she wasn't frightened before, she certainly was now.
"L-let me go!" Sherry yelped in panic. Yuuki blinked, then released her to hold her arms up plaintively. She rubbed both of the spots where the much bigger girl had grabbed her, fully aware of her wide eyes and fast paced breathing.
"I-it was just an a-air soft gun. It stings a little, thats all" she said when she relocated her voice. Yuuki dropped her arms, letting her head tilt back to the sky. A ragged sigh escaped her.
"Oh thank god. Oh thank god" she murmured. She sucked in air for a few more seconds before bringing her head back up. At once she leveled a dangerous glare at the fifteen year old.
"You tell anyone about this, anyone, then by fucking god I'll break every bone in your body" she threatened. Sherry nodded frantically.
"You hear me? I'll make you wish you were never born" she snarled, making the blonde take a fearful step back.
"I won't tell anyone, I promise" she squeaked. Yuuki huffed again, but fortunately her hostile glare faded.
"Good. Now get the fuck outta here" she waved her off, turning to crouch by the man.
While still half petrified in terror, Sherry found herself questioning the situation. Who was this man that tried to kill her? Why had the most feared bully in the county saved her? What did she give him to knock him out so quickly? And why was she so concerned about him? Despite the raw fear that gripped her still, she was brimming with curiosity. So ignoring the voice in her mind that was screaming at her to leave, she stayed put. The silver haired girl noticed, and frowned.
"I said leave" she growled. Sherry gulped.
"Um, who is that?" she hesitantly asked. The girl rolled her eyes and sighed.
"He's my dad" Yuuki said quietly.
Sherry needed a moment to process the answer. She glanced between the oriental girl and the white man repeatedly, at first uncomprehending. After a few seconds she began to see the resemblance, a few facial features the two shared. It wasn't obvious at first glance, beyond her eyes (which, when given some thought) were almost a dead match for his. But by answering her question however, she had inadvertently opened a spring of new ones.
"He's your father. Wait...why did he attack me then?" she asked her. An errant thought questioned why her hair was white as well, especially given the man's roots. Maybe it was dyed?
Yuuki snorted, rising to her full height. It never occurred to the blonde girl just how tall six feet was before that moment. The scowling woman was easily a head or more taller than her, giving her an intimidating presence all by itself. She had to take a step back without being fully aware of it, all of her instincts screaming danger.
"Its none of your goddamn business" Yuuki spoke lowly, oddly calm. But she would have to be blind and deaf to not feel the hostility radiating off of her like a physical thing. Nevertheless, whether by false confidence, an inopportune time for Jake's encouragement for her to stick up for herself taking hold, or by a terminal failure of common sense, Sherry held her ground.
"I-I just wanna know is all" she said, internally proud that the stutter was kept down. The much larger girl's scowl deepened, her lips drawing back to bare her teeth in a full snarl.
"I'm going to beat wholesale ass if you don't get the fuck out of here in the next three seconds" Yuuki threatened. Only, knowing the girl's reputation, it wasn't a threat.
Sherry had a couple of seconds to figure out a course of action. The smart thing to do would be to run, but she had a sinking feeling the sixteen year old wasn't going to let it go that easily. And she doubted she could run faster than her. An idea sprung into her mind and tumbled off her lips before she could think it through.
"He did shoot me. I could always go to the cops" she bluffed. Inside she winced. She could already see the apocalyptic rage explode and take her with it.
But that didn't happen. Instead Yuuki froze, her harsh expression swept up by one of utter horror.
"You wouldn't" she whispered. She blinked in utter astonishment, expecting a number of things but certainly not that.
"I just wanna know is all" Sherry said quickly, waving her hands at her in a hopefully apologetic way.
Yuuki groaned, bringing up a sigh of relief from the blonde when she let her hands drop.
"Alright alright. Just...don't go to the cops about this" she stated weakly.
"Why are you so worried about the cops?" Sherry asked impulsively. Yuuki shot her a death glare.
"What was your first fuck like?" she snapped. Sherry gasped in shock, her cheeks tinging red in embarrassment "I'm about to tell you a really personal story, the least you could do is shut the hell up" she grumbled.
Yuuki glanced back at the park bench, where her father was still resting. She walked back to him, first bending over his face to check on him, then to gently move his legs aside to give her rather ample rear space to sit. Seeing as the bench was occupied, Sherry resigned herself to standing. Despite the liberal quantity of fear still in her system, a greater portion was waiting for her to speak. An idle part of her noted the level of background noise seemed to be tapering off, like the world itself was anticipating her explanation. The silver haired girl quietly sighed.
"Delusional schizophrenia" she said simply. Sherry blinked.
"Say what?" she said bafflingly. Yuuki's face contorted into a scowl, but fortunately (for the younger girl anyway) she stayed on the bench.
"I just said it. He has trouble perceiving reality. Hallucinations, erratic behavior, all that shit. At least that's what that asshole doctor told us" she muttered the last part.
"Schizophrenia" Sherry repeated. A brief glare shut her mouth.
"Yeah, my dads a schizo. Laugh, I fucking dare you" Yuuki challenged, something she had no intention of meeting. She shook her head.
"I wasn't going to" she told her, only to be met by a derisive snort "I mean it!" Sherry protested. Yuuki laughed, a dry and bitter thing.
"Suuuure. You won't do it now because I'm right here, but the moment I'm out of sight..." she bemusedly trailed off. Rare indignation bubbled to the surface, and she stamped a foot onto the unyielding concrete.
"Not everyones a bitch like you!" Sherry shouted.
A dreadful silence was cast over the area. She clamped her hands over her mouth, desperately wishing that she could take the words back. Not so much for the girl's feelings, but rather to avoid the legendary temper that (again by rumor) once put a boy in traction for a month. For several seconds she held her breath, watching the suddenly blank look on Yuuki's face. Any second it would break into a flood of rage that would see the blonde girl in the hospital, perhaps for the remainder of her short life.
"Huh" was all she said, letting her head dip back. Faint hope glimmered in the back of Sherry's mind, hope that she could survive from this yet.
"Most everyones too scared to backtalk me. You're either retarded or you got guts" Yuuki said neutrally, with something that resembled admiration in her tone. Her head flopped over to level a hard look at the younger girl, who had unconsciously gulped.
"Which is it?" she asked, dangerously calm. Steadying her nerves, Sherry fell back on a lesson from her mother: if you can't give a straight answer, change the subject.
"Earlier he said I was lunch. What does that mean?" she asked. The neutral look faded into a frown.
"That. Of course its that" Yuuki muttered, shaking her head. A low hiss escaped her.
"You know that anime Tokyo Ghoul?" she asked.
"Um, Yeah. Its that one where that guy gets turned into a flesh eating monster right? I haven't seen it all the way through" Sherry admitted.
"And you know about the Biohazard series" she went on, making the younger girl's eyes briefly light up.
"Yep, I was actually on my way to go get the new game today" she told her, though her surge of enthusiasm was quickly put down. Yuuki nodded.
"Good, saves me the trouble of explaining. Alright, a few years back my dad wrote some fanfiction that crossed the two over. It was a self insert" she explained.
"Your dad wrote fanfiction?" she asked, sparing a look at the man. She knew about fanfiction of course (what fandom didn't) but for the life of her she couldn't picture him actually writing some.
"Yeah. Said it was for fun. His accounts still there, its Acidika" she went on. When Sherry pulled out her phone to type something, she scowled. The girl noticed and gave a meek shrug.
"I'm just looking it up. See?" she showed Yuuki her screen, with a page of results. She nodded warily as she retracted her phone.
"Anyway, he made this self insert of that. Made the guy about the opposite of himself really. Him in the stories is an asshole, my dads the nicest guy you'll meet. Captain versus sergeant, stuff like that. Said he wanted to make that one character, D.C. Douglas? That asshole boss from the series die horribly. Made it happen about a hundred and ninety five thousand words in" Yuuki explained. Sherry nodded in understanding, absorbing every word. That was until the keywords of the fourth sentence dawned on her.
The silver haired girl smirked. "Betcha you weren't expecting that were you?" she gloated. Sherry would've been mildly offended if the utter shock of realizing what he is wasn't finished stunning her.
"Before you ask, Army. Hundred Thirteenth Engineer Battalion. If there was a road that needed built or a bridge put up, those guys were the men for the job. He loved to boast that the first forward operating base in Afghanistan was his doing. It was bullshit though, he arrived in that pit six months after the Marines landed. Didn't stop him from doing it anyway though" she chuckled, certainly a bizarre sound from her.
"He was in the army" Sherry said to herself, shaking her head in disbelief. Yuuki grinned while she reached between her generous bust to tug something out. A quick rattle later and out came a thin beaded chain, with two rectangular objects dangling off of them. Hesitantly Sherry approached her to bend over. She didn't know what dog tags were supposed to look like, but she had an intuition that they were the real deal.
"Service and Fidelity" Yuuki quoted proudly. Before Sherry withdrew, she got to see the name etched into the metal: Tobias Darkwood. She stuffed them back between her cleavage as the blond backed off.
"So, your dad was a sergeant-"
"Staff sergeant, an E-6" Yuuki corrected, though Sherry had no clue what the difference was.
"Right. Staff sergeant in the army, where he was an engineer" she went on.
"Thats right. His specialty was base construction, putting up command centers, barracks, fences, the works. Had a team of ten under him" she explained proudly.
"...Okay, definitely not what I was expecting" Sherry shook off, which Yuuki chuckled at.
"You know he actually got a commendation? Silver star. For bravery" she added. Seeing the younger girl's raised brow was her cue to explain.
"On his second tour insurgents launched a mortar attack on his base. A shell went right through his barrack's wall, landed literally a couple of feet from him while he was messing with a stereo" Yuuki cheerfully explained, to her growing amazement "it was a dud. One in a thousand chance is what the EOD guy told him. Anyway, what do you think he did after coming that close to death? Just seconds later he ran outside to help. He didn't know much first aid beyond the basics, but he pulled the injured from the wreckage and did what he could until the medics arrived. There was a dozen guys that are alive today because of him" Yuuki was practically glowing with pride, warmly reciting the story. Sherry wanted to interrupt, but she could tell the older girl wasn't entirely with her at the moment, so she decided to stay quiet.
"Twelve hours later he had a colonel pinning a medal on his chest. When he got home he got a display case for it to hang it up. Told me later that he didn't even fully realize what he did until after he got the thing. Said that he spent half the night throwing up cause he was so scared" she laughed.
"Thats...just, wow" Sherry said, greatly impressed. For a second she tried to imagine herself in his place; her conclusion was that she would curl into a ball and quite possibly never move again. She had suspicions that the story, if not made up, was at least embellished. All it took was three seconds to quash that thought. By the look in her eyes alone she was telling the truth.
"He would always tell me 'Mishka, I have a lot of regrets in life, but joining the army will never be one'" she quoted with a hefty Russian accent.
"Why'd he join anyway?" Sherry asked.
"Why not? He was born in Russia" Yuuki started.
"I figured that out already" she interrupted, earning a brief glare.
"Anyway, he came over with his birth mom, whom just about everyone said was a total bitch. She died when he was six, trying to score some drugs" she said derisively.
"Thats how my friend's dad died" she added.
"Good for him. He spent ten years in some state run orphanage, trying to get out of the dirt. One day, along came a woman named Alice Abernathe" she went on, dismissing her statement.
"Adopted?" Sherry probed. She nodded.
"Alice was about the opposite of his mom in every way. You heard of Abernathe Auto?" Sherry thought for a moment before nodding "daughter of the founder. She was smart, funny, caring...a great person. One of a kind" Yuuki trailed off. However, if the tense she used hadn't tipped her off already, the fading grin would've.
"She died five years ago. She was a hunting enthusiast you see, went out to the woods every fall. Another hunter found her about a week after she left. Accidental rifle discharge. Freak accident" she quietly said.
"I'm sorry for your loss" Sherry said sympathetically.
"Yeah. Me too" she mumbled. It was quiet for an uncomfortable span of time, broken only by the younger girl bringing up a new topic.
"What about your mom?" she asked.
"What about her? She's an accountant for Tricell pharmaceuticals" Yuuki answered, making Sherry do a double take.
"Really? My mom works for them too" she said in amazement, this time bringing a neutral grunt from her.
"Small world. What does yours do?" she asked.
"Research. She's actually in Central Africa right now" she answered.
"Maybe not so small after all" she said to herself. Sherry decided to keep up the pressure.
"How'd your parents meet?" she asked.
"Yokohama. He was at the US naval base for training. When he went out, he met her in a coffee shop and got talking about something, neither of them could remember what it was, but they just hit it off. Month later they were engaged and making a mess out of customs" she answered bemusedly.
"Rumors did say your mom was Japanese" Sherry said to herself.
"Thats right. Half Japanese, half Russian, all American" she joked "its why he liked Tokyo Ghoul so much. The main female character looked just like my mom, just sub the purple hair for black. Even has the same first name too, Rize" she explained.
Silence one again descended over the area. A cold breeze blew, making Sherry shiver in her thin windbreaker. Now that she had a good understanding of her origins, now came the thorny question that promised no end of trouble. Even with Jake's advice ringing in her mind (and her own smoldering curiosity to go with it) the final step was something she was hesitating on. The very fact that her father was made out to be such a good man made the figure peacefully sleeping still all the more incongruous.
"Just ask already" Yuuki quietly snapped. Her smile was gone. Sherry took a deep breath to steady herself.
"What happened to him?" she asked at last. Yuuki took a breath herself.
"Third tour. Didn't need to do it, didn't want to, but the mortgage payments were falling behind. Bills were piling up. My college education. Shit like that. He volunteered, was in Afghanistan by the end of the month" she began lowly.
'Funny. He spent six months in that pit. Not a single problem. Hell, other than the Sliver star case, he didn't have a single incident over three entire tours. I know he was under fire a few times, but who hasn't been over there?" Yuuki went on.
Sherry kept her mouth shut, listening intently.
"On the way back they stopped in Germany. Just a quick layover before heading to Britain, then Fort Bragg. One civilian flight later, then he's back on my life" she said with either disappointment or sadness, Sherry couldn't tell.
"While they were in Germany, the lieutenant let them off for a few hours. The town they were in was used to American soldiers, no big deal. Only that time-" she clenched her fists.
"There was an older guy living there. He used to live in Dresden, was in East Germany back in the day. He really liked Americans, but hated Russians. Blamed them for everything. When he heard my dad talk, he was convinced he was a Russian too" she said tightly.
"That guy worked as a janitor at the local police station. Just a day earlier, they did this huge bust. Got lots of illegal drugs. He swiped some of it before anyone realized what happened" one look in her eyes told Sherry that Yuuki wasn't with her anymore. She was somewhere else, possibly being told the same story she was hearing now.
"Phencyclidine. Angel Dust. Causes severe hallucinations and disassociate disorders, may be permanent" she spat. The sole thing keeping Sherry from bolting was knowing it wasn't aimed at her.
"A few milligrams can fuck you up. My dad got half a kilo of the shit thrown in his face before he even knew what happened. The doctors did everything they could, but-" she choked up, letting her downcast gaze slip. She waited patiently, understanding how hard it must be for her. After a few seconds her breathing slowed, though she still sounded upset.
"That fucking bastard got a life sentence. He should've gotten death" she spat.
"And...he's been like this ever since?" Sherry carefully asked. Her twitching scowl was still facing the ground, but she nodded.
"Some days are better than others. Today...I took my eyes off him for five minutes. When I saw he was gone, I grabbed his sedative and ran after him" Yuuki sputtered out a breath and leaned back, letting her back touch the bench. She was still upset, and her eyes had that particular glossy sheen to them that promised tears.
"Army discharged him a few weeks later. They're covering his medical bills at least" she said haltingly. Sherry gulped, making up her mind.
"I'm sorry. Your father is a brave man" she told her, stressing the tense. Yuuki nodded shakily.
"Yeah. He is" she agreed distantly. She rose to her feet, making an effort out of straightening out her outfit.
"Thank you for telling me this" Sherry said gratefully.
"Yeah. Telling you my dad went from a decorated soldier to a schizo freak that threatens people whenever I or my mom doesn't keep him on a leash. It felt good" she said haltingly, making Sherry sighed in relief.
Faster than she could react, the silver haired swung around to punch the signpost as hard as she could punch. The sound alone made Sherry jump, and when she realized what just happened her blood ran cold. A strange sound reached her ears, a weird sputtering noise that reminded her of an out of breath dog. With a start it hit her: Yuuki was crying.
"Why him!?" she shrieked. Sherry could only watch as the girl's wobbling legs gave out from under her. She fell to her knees, her already bruising fist sliding down the cold metal.
"Why him? He didn't do anything wrong, he was j-just doing his job. He went through so much shit his whole l-life" Yuuki's rambling devolved into pained sobbing.
At that moment Sherry understood. Glancing at the sleeping ex-sergeant Tobias Darkwood, she suddenly saw him in dress uniform. Standing tall and proud, receiving an award for something that terrified him. She saw him coming home to his loving wife and excited daughter, embracing them both in turn. The unspoken words: I'm home, and I'm not going anywhere else. So close, torn away by an old man that couldn't let the past go. Instead of happiness, there was grief.
Yuuki was no longer aware of her surroundings, making it pathetically easy for Sherry to walk up to her. As gently as she could, she knelt over to hug her.
"Its okay" she murmured. Yuuki stiffened. But she didn't force her away.
"Why?" was her almost silent response. She slowly retracted her arms, but kept down with her arm outstretched to her. The bully stared uncomprehendingly.
"I'm not going to say I know what you're going through. I don't, I never will. But I do know what kind of pain you're experiencing. The best thing for it is a friend" she said simply. Yuuki continued to stare at her, blinking away her tears. Her hand, the one that didn't punch the sign, slowly came up to touch hers. Her grip was tentative, like she couldn't believe what was happening. In a way, Sherry felt the same. The moment was almost ruined by her briefly struggling to haul her up, discovering to her chagrin that she hardly had the strength to do so. Fortunately the much stronger girl pushed herself the rest of the way up.
"Why?" Yuuki repeated numbly.
"Well, I noticed you never really hang out with anybody else. Saw how much of a, well, pardon my french, a bitch you are, figured you didn't have any friends" Sherry sheepishly explained. The older girl let her grip fall, keeping her stunned eyes on her for a few seconds.
Suddenly she giggled. "You-you" her gaze dropped to the ground again, laughing at nothing. After a few minutes she looked back up, tears tracing down her smiling cheeks.
"I think its retarded for you" she said. Sherry shrugged back.
"I don't mind. By the way, does your mom know where you are?" she asked. Yuuki sighed and patted her pocket. A quiet sigh escaped her as she reached in to bring out a cellphone.
"No. I better call her" she said distantly. Sherry waited until the phone was to her ear to begin backing away. She suddenly stopped, waiting until the call was finished. It took a minute, the biracial girl speaking in a language she didn't understand a word of. When she clicked it off she noticed the blonde was still waiting.
"What?" she asked.
"Are you a Biohazard fan?" Sherry asked. Yuuki stared impassively before a small grin came over her. A small one, but it was more than what she would've gotten the day before.
"I am. Why?"
"Biohazard seven launched today. Rumors said the multiplayer was great. Co-op, death match, survival, the works. Care to join me later?" Sherry offered. The grin grew into a smile.
"Sure."
xXx
A/N: There, now it's done again. Any errors, mistakes, or failings you spot are purely my own.
Acidika, you convinced me to do this. All your complaining rights are forfeited. For what it's worth, it sorta is one big shoutout to you. Sort of.