Ah, uh, this is a Beatrice and Kinzo one. Does that make me strange? I actually like pairing Beatrice up with everyone else... I, I just love her a lot, alright?
(A, and, tanks to Roxy who was my somewhat proofreader. ;m;)
Kinzo continued to lay on the ground, his breathing, haggard. He could still hear loud gunshots, screaming, yelling... everything was blurred. Everything in his field of vision was blurred. He could see indistinct blobs of green, black... run past him.
But...
Was he already dead?
...Am I already dead?
Have I reached the end of my life?
Of my pitiful existence...—the being of a puppet...?
His eyelids felt heavy... and so...
He closed his eyes... and rested.
...And he woke up. But, where was he? Everything was dark, dim; he couldn't even make out... what color the "black" was...it was completely muted.
Then he suddenly saw a soft glow on his hand. When he looked behind, he saw a small, glittering butterfly.
...More appeared. Suddenly, all around him were golden, fluttering butterflies... and a cackle.
"Hyahahahhahahah, Ushiromiya Kinzouuuuuu..." First, a black silhouette—the form of a woman, and then,
...A stunningly beautiful woman in an elegant dress.
...That laugh doesn't suit her at all, he thought, a passing thought...
He continued to take in her beauty...
She seemed... like a woman from a portrait...
She had a blank expression on her pale skin, but her cheeks were a tad full, and her lips were rather curved upwards. Her golden hair was neatly tied up into a bun, and her ensemble was brilliantly composed of a triad of colors—a somewhat charcoal black; dark, maroon red; and a shining gold. Her waist took a quick dip in and then out at her hips, and the bottom of her dress continued to go out, hiding away her (most likely) smooth legs.
Her face quickly turned into a rather mocking smirk. "Hmph, how long are you going to stare at me...? Aha, don't tell me that you've fallen in love with me already~!"
She had posed herself into a rather comical one—but when she noticed that he was unmoved, she straightened herself back up. She took a deep sigh, and puffed out a large whiff of smoke.
"...You must be wondering who I am, correct?" she questioned, looking to the side. Instead of waiting for an answer, she continued, "I am the great witch of gold that has lived endlessly for a thousand years... Beatrice. I came here simply out of boredom. ...And you seem to be at the end of your rope... of your manipulated life, yes?"
She paused and took another blow of her pipe. "It'll be fun... to revive your puppet head of a title, so, I'll help you, alright?"
Kinzo thought about it; it would be great, to let those imbecile elders to watch and gape at my rise in power. But then it rose to the question: ...How would this woman, who is most likely a figment of his imagination, help him?
Beatrice smirked, with one side of her mouth stretching to the side of her face. "And now you're thinking, 'How is she going to help me?' right! Well, I'm a witch of gold, right? If I could, I could conjure up a whole stack of gold... as much as you want...! And to the question of, 'She's not even real, right?'... There would be no loss if I wasn't real! ...Of course, you would be dead, but... that's hardly a loss! Hyahaha, and think about all of the gain that you could have...! Money! Women! Power! Everything a man would want, right? Hyahahaha!"
He couldn't respond until he sorted his thoughts out.
It's true.
What can I lose?
The answer? Nothing!
Even if it's a phantasm, I'll at least experience an illusion!
...And finally, on his face... a grin rose to his face...
"Alright."
"Haaaaahhh?" She cackled, cupping her ear, "Whaaat did you saay? I didn't hear youuuu!"
"...Let's see what you can do, you damn witch!"
And this world... slowly disappeared...
...He could suddenly see the vivid sky before him.
"He... hey... Ushiromiya!"
Kinzo lazily glanced at one of his fellow soldiers, the one who was trying to snap him awake.
"Hah... at least you're alive, Ushiromiya! I had to bandage you up a little, but, you're all fine! ...Ushiromiya?"
...The wounded soldier shakily stood up, and continued to walk, past the border—the place where he could be safe... and went out to the battlefield.
"Hahahahhah, did you see that, Beatrice? I must be a war hero now, right? Heh, heheh!" Kinzo garbled on, and took another gulp of beer.
Kinzo was celebrating in an empty cellar, celebrating for himself, for he had actually... gone out... and rammed past the opposing side! If anyone had entered the room, they would've thought he was crazy—he was... sitting alone.
To him, he wasn't.
Next to Kinzo was Beatrice, who was still in her graceful dress, sitting at the bar chair to the right of him. Her lips were curled slightly, and her hands were supporting her chin. She continued to listen to his experience on the field.
"Hm, seems like you had fun, right~?" She giggled, and tilted her head slightly, "...Are you happy... with only this much?"
He nonchalantly looked at her, straight in the face. "...No. I'm not." He put on a crooked grin, and slurred, "Hahhh, didn't you say that you would give me tons of gold, or something...?"
She silently laughed, and answered, "I guess, you're a true man after all~. ...Of course, I will give you all the gold you wish for, though you would need to sign a contract. But the winnings outweigh the costs, you know." She calmly stroked his arm.
"Hah," he chuckled. "Why don't you," he whispered, lightly grasping her wrists, "tell me more about it...?"
"Here you go, Ushiromiya Kinzo. Ten tons of gold... just like you asked." Beatrice bowed before him, showing him... his wish.
This is what he wished for, isn't it? Kyahaha...
Kinzo smirked, walking in front of the pile of gold—observing it closely. "Hn, so you truly are the Witch of Gold and this is the evidence that you present to me... Very nice."
"Thank you, Master Kinzo." She curtsied again, hiding her smirk, and then looked directly at his eyes, "...Remember, that I will be coming back to collect the payment. ...I'll see you again, Master Kinzo."
When Beatrice attempted to disappear in a flurry of golden butterflies, she realized... that she couldn't. She was slightly shocked—and glared at Kinzo.
...And noticed that Kinzo seemed... a bit different than he used to. He walked up to her, and gripped her hand. Kinzo chuckled darkly, "...You won't ever leave me."
"Hah?" She sneered, trying to slap his hand away.
"...You won't ever leave me... my beloved Beatrice."
Beatrice struggled, and gasped when she saw something in his other grip. "I, Is that a..."
"Ah, you noticed?" He held up the dusty, weighty book in his other hand, "...Of course, I've been studying... magic, in the small time that we spent together... But now, our time together will be extended, right...?"
...His grin became frightening, alarming...
He gently lifted her hand to his lips, lightly kissing the top of her hand.
"You'll be mine forever..."
In the dark chamber lied Beatrice, captured in a prison. Her eyes... they lost the previous lively, taunting emotion in them. She laid there like a doll, on the frozen cold prison floor.
When footsteps could be heard, she glanced over to the bars and saw Kinzo step in front of her cage. He was wearing slightly different clothes—a large, raven black cape embroidered with golden thread. He was wearing a rather large suit, with a maroon dress shirt underneath, and a lavender tie holding the cape together. ...All over his clothes, were patterns of a fancy looking wing.
"My dear Beatrice, are you awake?" He observed the dark room, looking for any movements. ...Kinzo could see her listless body, and furrowed his brows.
After waiting for a few moments, he continued, "Even if you won't speak, I'll still believe... that you're alive. You can't escape me. ...I will never let you leave Rokkenjima."
Under his breath, he muttered, "I'll find a way... I'll find, a way, to bring you back. Just you wait... you fool."
Kinzo stood, unmoving, for a few moments, then turned his back towards her and left.
When she noticed that he left, she unsteadily lifted herself up, and sat awkwardly on the ground, staring at the now closed entrance. Beatrice gazed at her body—her arms had small cuts all over, her hands were bleeding and chained to massive iron spheres, and her legs were dirtied with drenched blood. Her breathing seemed exhausted, and she still felt pangs of pain in short intervals.
"Ha, hah..." she attempted to slip her hands out of the lock, but she couldn't. Beatrice winced from the pain, and stopped.
...She looked up, out of the silent, frozen window...
"Stupid... I'm... the Endless Witch...! For certain, I will get out. Ha... hyaha...!"
"Hah..."
Beatrice stood above his charred corpse, and puffed a small cloud of smoke from her mouth. She was still for a few moments, glancing at Kinzo's dead body; observing it. ...Eventually, she kneeled down, next to him.
"Really..." she wistfully smiled, "You're such an idiot."
...Were those feelings real, or just an illusion? Wasn't he lying?
Even though he was crazy... I still had good times with him. It was really exciting. Back then.
At a glance, it could be seen as real. But it isn't. He only loved me, obsessed over me... Only because I was a witch.
I've been lying.
I've been lying, all this time.
Would he still have loved me, even if I was a regular human? ...Or if I became one...?
Love is worthless...
...You fool. If you did not listen to me, you would have... lived a normal life. You would have not died. You... were never supposed to die, back then.
I've only used you.
While she was silently murmuring her thoughts, she heard yells from the door.
"...Hah, he's coming, isn't he...? Ruining my time for goodbyes..." she glared at the "door", and quickly stood up on her feet.
She took a deep breath... and sighed. And from deep in her thoughts,
"I'm sorry."
How did it go from somewhat strange - wat - depression!
H-Hope you enjoyed it. ;m;