BETRAY ME NOT

A/N: An attempt to resolve the rather ambiguous ending of the anime. The setting is during the last few scenes of episode 26. The second chapter will come alongside with this chapter, because the style is inspired by TolkienScholar's D.C. al Fine challenge at The Review Lounge, Too:

Write a scene or story from one perspective or point of view, then return to the beginning of the scene or story and write it again, showing us a completely different perspective, perhaps changing the POV character, filling in the gaps in the first section and making us see things we never saw before.

All disclaimers apply.


"Ohana means family. Family means nobody gets left behind or forgotten." – Lilo and Stitch


Chapter 1: Sweet Remembrance

Brandon's fissure-ridden body lay silently beside Harry's corpse; the left sleeve of his tattered long coat and the right side of his torn pants were empty.

Mika stood several feet away from the motionless body, shedding tears whilst smiling a little. Brandon was gone, but he deserved that rest. He had always depended on life support even before he lost an arm and a leg; if he ever lacked the treatment he needed, his skin would crack and his muscles would stiffen. But even if he were gone, she would never forget him. Blood ties didn't matter; heck, whatever he was, she didn't care. He wasn't just a reanimated corpse, but also her daddy and part of her little family. He was the only person who had always provided the hugs and the protection she would never receive from her parents anymore.

Slowly, she walked towards his broken body. She wanted to be close to him once more, since she wouldn't have the chance to do that again when he had returned to his grave.

"Brandon…" Kneeling beside him, she blinked at the stench of rotten meat from where his left arm and right leg used to be. Brandon was dead, but why didn't his body discharge as much odor as his missing limbs?

Maybe I'm just dreaming. He can't survive with such injuries.

Mika spent some time looking at his scarred face. Tears. Tears seeped out of his closed eye. Had he died in pain just now? Hopefully not, but if he had, the suffering was over at least.

Soon, a set of approaching footsteps prompted Mika to stand up and turn. Biscoe and Norton had come.

"He's gone," Biscoe muttered. "We're too late."

Mika shook her head. "It's okay. At least, he's at peace now."

"The trailer will arrive soon," Norton said. "Once it's here, we'll take him back to his grave."

"Thanks."


Brandon's broken body rested on the massive steel chair, oblivious to the doctor and everybody else around him.

Looking at the corpse, Mika remembered the IV line that used to attach on his forearm whenever he sat there. It must hurt, considering that the doctor had to push a big, thick needle into his skin to insert the life support line. However, Brandon seemed relaxed whenever he received the transfusion, just like the moments he spent his time with her.

But still, she had always noticed a tinge of pain and sorrow in his eye and face. Maybe he was longing for something? An eternal slumber? A family? Sometimes, Mika wondered if she had the chance to find the answer, if she could see him genuinely happy.

Dreamer. Brandon was already gone. Not even a slightly raised arm of his, which she had just caught in her sight, convinced her that he was still alive. Dr. William stood beside his seat, so he might have moved Brandon's arm.

Strangely, the doctor's eyes and mouth were wide open. He hadn't done anything after all?

"You moved his arm?" Norton, who sat between Mika and Biscoe, asked as he glared at the doctor.

"If I had, I wouldn't have looked confused."

"There's no such thing as ghosts, Doctor."

Mika stood up and walked towards Brandon. Was he alive? If yes... But she winced momentarily at the thought. Living in such condition would hurt.

She grabbed his hand, hoping to elicit a response. His fingers curled a little at the touch. Reflex? Stiff joints? Mika couldn't tell. After that, a frown formed on his face.

"He's alive," William declared. "It's the only explanation why he could still raise his arm and frown, although...well, everything is stiff."

Smiling at that statement, Mika told Brandon, "Welcome back."

After a few seconds of what looked like a struggle to move an eyelid, Brandon finally opened his eye. Slowly, he looked to his right, bringing about a crisp crack as he moved his neck.

Mika put his arm down on the armrest, slowly and carefully as she didn't want to break anything by accident. "Brandon, just relax. We're inside Dr. Tokioka's trailer, so everything will be okay."

Brandon made another slow movement of his neck to look at Mika.

"It's okay. It really is. Just don't move too much."

Brandon only gave a vacant stare. Maybe he wanted to have his pain alleviated as soon as possible.

Mika looked at William, who simply said, "Tell Boss."

She turned to Biscoe, who nodded and took out his cell phone. "I'll make the preparation. Once we arrive at the quarters, Dr. William will take care of him."

After that, she returned her attention to Brandon, who still sported a blank expression on his face. Maybe not only physical pain bothered him. As much as she wanted to check on him, she thought that it would be better if she let him rest until he had had his wounds treated. It had taken a long time for him to complete just a small movement; how would he feel if she interrogated him, which would require him to move his jaw and make a gesture?

Soon, she decided to say, "Brandon, just sleep, okay? The doctor will take care of you once we arrive at the quarters."


Mika sat on the office's couch, listening to the conversation between Biscoe and Norton.

"Add forty million yules to our expense today, Norton. It's the amount we pay for Brandon's medical expense."

Norton stared at his laptop. "Looks like we'll be in a serious deficit today."

"Huh?"

"We've spent five hundred million yules for wages, eighty million yules for various organization's needs, and sixty million yules for our men's medical expense," Norton said. "In the mean time, we can just make six hundred fifty million yules from our business today."

"Why is our income that low?"

"We made many enemies during Harry's reign. Most of our business partners ended up terminating their contracts. And then, we spent a lot for our men's medical expense."

Biscoe slammed his fists onto the desk. "Damn it!" He looked at Mika.

"Um, Mr. Biscoe?"

"It's also Brandon's fault."

She stood up, her eyes widening. "Why?"

"He attacked my men to protect Harry. It's why our organization will be in serious deficit today!" Biscoe snapped. "We could've saved a lot of money if he hadn't hurt my men!"

"You must be joking!" Mika shouted. "Brandon is never a traitor!"

"He isn't because you never see it," Biscoe spoke, his voice calming down. "To be honest, Miss, we only help him because you say that he's actually a good person. Although we never see how good he is, we decided to trust you. This organization exists thanks to your father, so you have our respect."

"Now, this makes me wonder if he is nice to you just for his safety," Norton continued.

"No way! Brandon isn't that kind of person!"

Biscoe shrugged. "Anyway, we'll still give him the treatment he needs every day and pay for it, but in return, he'll have to work for the organization."

Mika stomped towards Biscoe's desk. "He'll work for the Mafia? You'll send him into mob wars?"

Biscoe nodded. "If he refuses, we'll simply off his life support."

"That's mean!"

"If we're that terrible, we must have asked him to work once he's up today."

Mika smacked the desk with a hand of hers. "But still, you can't force someone who has lost an arm and a leg to fight for you!"

"Why make a fuss about missing limbs? He only needs an arm to fire a gun. Leg? We can get him an artificial leg."

"Biscoe, that will add to our expense!" Norton warned.

Biscoe placed a palm on his forehead and sighed.

"Mr. Biscoe," Mika began softly, "why don't you just let Brandon rest? He may lose that artificial leg in a fight. Then, you want him to keep fighting, which means that you have to keep buying artificial legs."

"That's too easy for him. He needs to be punished."

"Just because he's a traitor?"

"Miss, if we're going by your father's rule, we're supposed to execute him for betraying us. But we respect you. You're the rightful heir of this organization after all."

Mika growled and turned away, gritting her teeth. Biscoe and Norton did not respect her. Not a bit. They were too harsh to the disabled Brandon.

Biscoe's calm voice suddenly came, "Miss, please understand."

"Your father was a strict person, while we had bent his rule because of you," Norton continued. "Do you think your father would have liked that?"

Mika looked down and clenched her fists. "Being that harsh doesn't solve everything."

"It does," Norton replied. "Millennion was a successful organization during your father's reign. Why? There were no traitors, which made the syndicate safe and stable."

All of a sudden, she heard the sound of a ringing phone. She turned to see Biscoe holding his cell phone. Could it be William? Had he finished treating Brandon's injuries and giving him the transfusions?

"Hmm, all right." Biscoe hung up the phone and looked at her. "Miss, you can return to the trailer now. Dr. William has treated Brandon's wounds."

"Okay."

Mika turned away and walked towards the office's exit door sluggishly, her mind racing with thoughts. If Brandon was indeed a traitor, she didn't think it would be a serious matter. She would simply forgive him and ask him to never betray them again; they were a family and forgiveness was better than hatred. In addition, Brandon was a good person. Incoming bullets? He would take them for her, sincerely and courageously. Feeling lonely? He would hug her, warmly and gently.

Unfortunately, nobody in Millennion cared.


Mika raised an eyebrow at the dim environment of the trailer. Didn't a doctor need a bright place to work?

William, who had probably noticed her confusion, said, "He couldn't sleep well until I switched off the lights."

"I see." She walked past William and halted in front of Brandon's bed - a steel recliner adjusted into a gurney without wheels. A slumbering Brandon lay there, breathing rhythmically with the aid of an oxygen mask. Wearing only boxers and a t-shirt exposed the bandaged stumps of his left arm and right leg.

She quickly shifted her gaze to his face. Drooped lips and traces of tears around the eye; even after having his wounds treated, he didn't seem to sleep well in a dark room. Maybe he didn't sustain just physical injuries.

"Brandon." She placed a hand on his forearm, which had an IV line connected to it. "You're hurt somewhere?"

"Miss," a voice came from behind, "you know what he is? A necrolyzer. A reanimated corpse. He has high pain tolerance. I've treated his wounds, too."

"I'm just asking if he's hurt somewhere, Doc. It's not necessarily physical injuries."

The doctor sighed. "I'm sorry, but a necrolyzer can't feel."

Mika's eyebrows twitched in annoyance, but she ignored William. "Do tell, Brandon," she murmured. "It's okay. Just let it all out." No answer came, so she waited for a few more seconds. But still, she received nothing but silence as the answer.

"Stop it already, Miss," William suddenly said. "As I've said, he can't feel."

Mika had had enough with the doctor. She glared at him and snapped, "He can! Don't you pay attention to his face? He's sad!"

William shrugged. "Whatever."

Mika returned her attention to Brandon and closed her eyes. She wanted to show William that he was very wrong, but how? Would asking Brandon whether he was a traitor or not do? He had always hated talking about betrayal, so it might spark an emotional response from him. However, she might regret her action afterwards.

She opened her eyes to look at Brandon. "Mr. Biscoe said that you were a traitor. Is it true?"

Brandon only responded with a bead of tears coming out of his closed eye.


Notes:

1. Remember where the anti-necrolyze bullet hits Brandon in the last episode? His right leg. Then, his loss of leg happens off-screen, but one can hear the sound of something breaking off. Also, in the last few shots, the right side of Brandon's pants is empty.

2. Dr. William is not really an OC. I'm referring to the nameless scientist who talks to Biscoe about anti-necrolyze bullets. I bet he knows about necrolyzation and how to sustain Brandon's body like Dr. Tokioka, not only because he once worked in Necrolyzation Project (as stated by Biscoe at some point in the last few episodes, he is hiring the staffers from Necrolyzation Project), but also, realistically speaking, one can't possibly create a cure and explain how it works without at least knowing the basics of the disease one is trying to cure (yeah, something like that).

3. As the posthumous child of Millennion's founder, Big Daddy, Mika hardly knows a thing about the syndicate. Her mother never tells her anything about the organization either.