SPOILERS: Twilight of the Golden Witch/ Umineko Tsubasa
Vanishing
Find me,
kill me,
save me.
Chapter One: Schadenfreude
Where is she now? She's… here. But she's out of place. Out of character, and an entirely different person.
Because even though she'll speak,
Nobody will understand her.
She doesn't even understand what she's saying.
Why?
Neither can she say anything, nor does she remember a single thing from the past.
She can't come out of the room.
This room was a strange place. It felt tiny, yet as she looked around, everything seemed blank.
"…spoke to her…but nothing…listening…I know she can…it…maybe she…if this…then maybe…the …nth…I know…"
A man outside was having a very curious conversation with someone she neither knew nor heard.
She could not hear most of the words, and she did not understand some.
The muffled quick voice made her feel a need to know. With slow and steady steps, she went closer to the door and listened more intently.
"Ah, yes… it seems so that … is scheduled today. As you wish, I will…"
Seconds later, even before she recognized the person who barged in, a prickling pain shot through her skin. Everything dimmed, and then she saw none.
"Where is she?" The man masked a grin. Cerulean blue eyes blended into dark grey, and the grey dominated his round irises.
When she is back, he will begin to rip her apart one by one again.
And again. A grimace.
"Ask yourself that question. Aren't you tired of this? Look at yourself. I'm even trying to let her stay away from this mess. Why don't you ever-"
"Answer my question." His eyes narrowed and she knew better than to provoke him.
"…she is not here yet." She frowned. He chuckled.
"Hoh ho ho. I must say, I will never get tired. The human mind is certainly a fascinating thing, Shannon. It puzzles me to no end. Nobody will know who killed Battler Ushiromiya. Even the best of us, Beatrice, will not get to the bottom of this even to the end of her bitter days."
"You're not Battler. Stop trying to be him! Stop trying to scare us!"
"Shut up! Do you think I'm trying to be him? He's ridiculous. Can't you even see that he died!? How ungrateful you are to a person who saved your life."
"Don't you dare say that! Who are you?"
"Yes, that is the question. Who am I? Will you even find out? And must I say, know your place, Shannon, as you are an inferior being compared to me."
No, I'm not.
I'm a human, just like you.
Jessica's prediction was probably turning out to be true.
She wasn't a magician. Oh, no.
But somehow, her hunches always become true.
She's not the cause of this. It's more like a coincidence that what she predicts to come true does come true.
"When she'll recover, he'll destroy her again and again.
She'll be completely destroyed very soon.
And what's worse, she won't even be aware of that fact."
"…Battler, she's here."
Beatrice has been summoned to the Game Board.
He chortled. A new game, is it? And his plaything would be her.
"Hello, my dear…" He paused for a fraction of a second and tilted his head.
Something's amiss. Battler scrutinized her.
Didn't she look complete? Porcelain skin, wavy golden hair, perfect fingers…
There was something amiss, no, two things.
Those were the lifeless eyes.
So pitiful, so hopeless, so dead, so beautiful…
Battler grinned, eyes darkening once more.
How lovely those eyes are.
"You've become more beautiful than ever, my beloved. Do you remember me?"
She did not respond. No twitch, no cringe, no tiny movement. Battler shivered. Where is this Beatrice he knew? Who did this to her? What have they done to her? Why is she like this? How did she become like this? He couldn't think of any answer.
Which piece is she?
"Say something, Beatrice. You will not leave me alone."
"…"
She didn't blink or glance at him.
"Look at me, Beato."
Her eyes did not move a fraction.
"Look at me!"
Bam.
Abruptly, he grabbed her collar and slammed her into the wall.
"Battler, stop!"
The White King who lost all hope,
The White King who could no longer understand…
What a foolish man.
He couldn't listen to Shannon. Those words fall on deaf ears.
His left hand was the only thing needed to kill the fragile girl in his grip. The fingers moved to the neck, and slowly curled. His nails dug into delicate skin, staining her, dirtying her. Battler gritted his teeth.
Check.
"Who are you?"
Those dead eyes only glanced downcast. She looked like a doll, not a human.
And he could play with her all he wants.
But playing with dolls is stupid! He wanted her to say something, because she promised. She promised she wouldn't leave him.
Breaking the silence, a loud bang sounded as a small hand impacted with Battler's face. Beatrice was released from his strangling grip and slumped to the floor. Battler became infuriated. A glance at those brass knuckles, and he knew who she was.
"Enough, Battler! You will not hurt Beato any longer."
Pale yellow hair and dark grey eyes that were once blue, gazed at him with abhorrence.
"How bold you are, Jessica. And you are telling me that I hurt… Beato…" His tone of confidence turned into fear as his dark grey eyes blended to dark blue. His voice softened, his eyes widened, and he ran to the girl slumped to the floor. Her neck was slightly red from his vicelike grip, a small stream of blood trickling down from an incision, but her eyes remained the same. They're cold and dull as ever, like she hadn't smiled before.
She smiled before.
He still remembers.
He remembered that mischievous grin and that light in her eyes.
Now, they're all gone.
And he realized one thing.
It can't possibly be… because of him.
Which piece are you, in the Game where magic cannot exist?
Quiet sobs became wails, and Battler embraced the girl.
No matter how much comfort you can give him, he'll never stop crying.
Just move one step closer and try. He'll shove you aside.
They can't blame him. They can't make him apologize.
That's because he's innocent.
"Why are you trying to do this to me, Beato? You wouldn't leave me. Don't leave me…"
It wasn't his fault.
There is nobody to blame.
This is an inescapable repeating tragedy.
What had happened left her in a state of confusion.
Why was there pain in other places than the wounds on the neck and arm?
Who were these people?
Why was she here?
What had resulted because she was here?
More than half an hour later, and she was finally able to move again. Beatrice didn't understand what had caused her to stop moving.
He had not stopped sobbing ever since that incident and she has not done anything to change the occurring situation.
So, her arms began moving shakily, slowly dropped, and her small hands gently clutched the sides of his jacket.
On which side is Beatrice?
Nobody will understand.
Not even she, not even he could.
Five years later, and the case still hasn't been closed.
She rises from the dead, despite being hopeless, faithless.
She must not take too long to find out who killed Ushiromiya Battler.
She's dying.
He, too, is dying.
Not only them, but also everyone else.
They're gradually disappearing.
They're slowly fading away.
They're vanishing.
Beatrice has been summoned to the Game Board.
Which piece is she?
The White King who lost all hope,
The White King who could no longer understand…
What a foolish man.
Check.
Check countered.
Which piece are you, in the Game where magic cannot exist?
On which side is Beatrice?
Is she White in which her soul has been cleansed, or is she Black where there is darkness that lies deep within?
This is uploaded for Umineko Day, a rewrite of Fade Away (on Quotev, deleted).
The illustration is (c) Robin on Pixiv (credited), filtered by me.