A/N: Disclaimer: Refer to Chapter 1.
WARNING: CRUDE LANGUAGE, ANGST
Chapter 2: Tear of Jinana
He turned to his pink-haired comrade as he had heard her sigh. Why did she do that? He nodded; she was probably exhausted.
He looked at her blankly and realized that this female had been an integral part of his team; his most deadly sniper.
He watched, unfazed, as the aforementioned female tucked a lock of stray fuchsia hair behind her ear and in so doing, made his mind stray.
He blinked as he thought he saw a flash of green hair and a soothing voice in his head. He shook his head and there only saw his pink-haired comrade who now looked at him with concern.
"Are you alright?" she asked him.
He nodded but he lied for as she asked him that question, it was less pink and more green that he saw.
"Are you sure…?" she asked again; but this time, the voice was different. The female's voice had become firm and deeper…and he soon found himself looking into green eyes…
'Jinana.'
He remembered her.
"Serph?"
That roused him from his thoughts.
He found himself within the same room once more and there looked at Argilla with a tight smile, "I'm fine. Please excuse me."
With that, he left.
Once outside, he resumed his thoughts…
Again he found himself thinking about the strange Maribel Leader. He had been quiet at the time when she had passed on. He spoke not a word as he saw his pink-haired comrade fall onto her knees in what Jinana had called "tears".
He knew not what tears were exactly, but he knew better about them now.
Tears were…water that leaked from one's eyes whenever he or she would feel nothing but negative emotions. He supposed that the green-haired woman meant a lot to Argilla. For if she didn't, Argilla wouldn't have had tears for her.
Wanting nothing to do with her death, Serph let his thoughts linger on Jinana's life. She had accepted their truce with minimal resistance. And she had brandished them as comrades.
Were these true…?
And he had learned from Mick of how she starved herself just so that she wouldn't turn on her followers.
Serph brought his hand to his chin as he thought about it.
It had been admirable, he was sure, that she wanted to save her people. But at the same time, didn't she think that as leader of the tribe, that should she perish, their lands would automatically be forfeited to the first tribe who would claim it…?
Would it mean, then, that Jinana's act of pure self-sacrifice for her people had been the real cause of their tribe's collapse, their ultimate defeat and their surrender to Embryon…?
And if so, wouldn't it mean that…
'She was a fool.'
Again, Serph's eyes became cold.
Tears or no, comrades or no, the green-haired woman had been the cause of her own demise…as well as her own tribe's.
However, it was very ironic and almost humorous on how logic worked. It was ironic and humorous on how the very action to save her people would actually condemn them…
Because she refused to take the little blood and flesh that God had asked them to take in order to gain power, she had been too weak to resist Mick's blows and attacks. Because of her apparent misplaced virtues, she had doomed her people into defeat, and conversion.
And with that logic, perhaps it had been fate and destiny that the Maribel leader had met her end in such as tragic and dramatic fashion…
Jinana's actions were both as admirable as they were foolish.
And so, he neither felt glad nor saddened at her demise…
For her, he would shed no tears.
For her, there was only indifference, at its best…
xxxx
Serph moved neither hair nor hide as he saw the fast approaching form of his comrade. He could feel the overwhelming power that oozed from his redheaded friend. He nearly shuddered at the amount of hatred that spewed from his red eyes.
He knew what was to happen next.
And he did nothing as the moment came to pass. He did nothing as he felt a sharp and piercing pain in his abdomen and then his back as Heat's arm had stabbed and gone through his body like a sword.
Serph, with his half lidded eyes, saw the shock in Heat's eyes and the flash and glint of regret.
And for that, the silver-haired man felt nothing but happiness and contentment.
It was not important to him that Heat begged for forgiveness or that he wished he could reverse time so that the damage would not be sustained. No; to him that was not what was important.
What was important to him was that, in his act of self-sacrifice and understanding, with overwhelming kindness, and want for peace, he had been able to brand and etch such ideals into Heat's mind and heart. He knew this as he saw the regret and sadness within the redhead's eyes as he stabbed and practically ended his leader's life.
To Serph, that had been enough. To see that Heat had begun to know the meaning of true sacrifice and the very essence and core of camaraderie was worth bleeding and dying for.
Why…? Why, people would ask…
It was for a simple and uncomplicated reason.
It was for his comrade.
His team, his comrades were his world.
Sacrificing for the people he loved was something that needed no words of explanation. Sacrifice was something that was inherent and natural.
And if sacrificing his life just so that Heat might see the light of reason, then, he reckoned that it had been a small price to pay.
He knew that in his absence, his team would be saddened…But he also knew that his demise would only drive all of them to bond closer together.
And so, as he began to fall from the edge and towards his death, he saw once more a flash of green…
Jinana.
At that point, he understood why she had done what she had done.
She starved her body as well as her soul because she couldn't bring herself to be the very harbinger of death. She didn't want to be the one to hurt, maim and kill others for her survival…
Just as he was with Heat. He didn't want to fight back…He didn't want to be the one who would put an end to Heat's life, even if it cost him his own.
He knew that he had felt indifferent about Jinana's death…and almost scoffed at her idea of demonstrating so-called self-sacrifice.
But he was wrong.
Even when the results seemed so small that all of his efforts had seemed so futile, there lay a seed of hope.
The very fact that Jinana had touched the hearts of his teammates, most especially Argilla, had everlasting and monumental effects…
And just seeing the emotion within Heat's eyes was more than enough.
Knowing that he had gotten his point across was the most important thing.
And so, with those calm and peaceful thoughts, the Embryon leader began to fall into the abyss of his death faster…
He froze a bit though, as he felt something drop on his cheek.
He opened his eyes and saw a glimpse of his pink-haired teammate from the top of the capsule. Bringing his hand to his cheek, he felt what it was.
It was a tear.
It was Argilla's tear.
No.
That was wrong.
It had been Jinana's tear.
'Your ideals will live on…'
That was the very core of signifying self-sacrifice. Her ideals will live on through the people whose hearts she had touched.
And so, with his remaining breath, he hoped and wished on how he could've been like her; like Jinana. How he wished and hoped that he had possessed his teammates' hearts…
He was wrong, then, about her wasn't he?
Jinana deserved more from him than blind indifference.
She deserved to be honored.
And he did.
He honored her; not just as a tribe leader, not as an AI…
As a man, made of flesh and blood, with a heart standing firm and strong for those he loved, he honored her…
With his last breath, he honored her…
xxxx
FIN
