Eleven

I watch Shadow and Gwendolyn be carried away swiftly by Arai, and know not to follow them. They'll be safe.

Turning away, I think of what Shadow told me. 'She seemed to have a death wish.' Shadow said it casually enough, but I know he's upset, even just a little. I turn and walk towards the Ruins.

Oh. Oh, Ezlo, Shakra. You've done it this time. I think to myself as I walk into her room. I see her body on the four post bed, still and silent. I swallow hard, trying to remove the hard spot in my throat, and slowly walk over to her body.

I can't help you this time. Tears start to form in my eyes, not surprising because I'm really a softy underneath this hard front.

"Why? Why, Shakra, why? You had to leave me behind!" I yell and kick a loose panel in the floorboards. I know that Shakra gave me a headache whenever she invaded, and she knew it, but it was entertaining. And nice to have someone other than myself to talk to. If only I'd told her that.

But, maybe it was something else. I peek around the room, looking for something, anything, that will tell me there was something else that ailed her.

"Aha!" I mutter. I pull a small piece of paper out from underneath the mattress of the bed. Afraid to open it, I gingerly unfold the creases.

It reads:

'Dear Vaati,

I'm sorry to write this to you, so sorry to put you through this. I know you probably will either never find this or just not care. Please, though, read this at least. As a last request to me.-'

Why does she think I won't read it? Did I really brush her off that much? I read on:

'I just can't go through this anymore, living this lie of a life. None of this is your fault, I just wish I had a chance to tell you in person, and I wish that you would have been a little more sensitive. I thought you were more observant than this; as to not even notice something was amiss with me.

I am sorry; I don't mean to put guilt on you, if you cared at all. I do have a few things to say to you before I go. One, I cared more than you thought. Two, I think you cared more than you let on. Three, I know Dark is visiting soon, or at least passing through, so I am invading a little before that so that he can 'dispose' of me. I wonder if he still does that right foot to left foot move before he kills someone? I guess I'll have to find out.

I'm sorry, I'm rambling. Oh dear, in my own suicide letter.—'

I choke upon reading the word 'suicide'.

'Four, I had other meanings for why I am dying. Their hand has been forced, they are coming for me and they might come to your Ruins. Be warned, they're dangerous, I got myself messed up with them years and years ago and now they're coming for me. So my death is not the result of you being too insensitive.-'

She keeps pointing out the fact that I was insensitive. Was I that bad? I suppose I did get agitated every time she'd visit...

'I have more to say to you, but, alas, it has to be done in person, so I can't tell you. Oh well, you probably won't care.-'

Of course I'd care! If only I knew. I could have stopped this. I sigh, but still continue to read on, now nearing the end...

'I guess I have nothing else to say, so I'll end this here, with three words: I love you. Goodbye, Vaati...'

Tears start spilling from my eyes and they drip onto the black pen of the letter. My hands start to shake, and I can no longer hold the paper. It flutters to the ground and my arms drop to my sides.

Feeling a little bit shaken up, I lower myself onto Shakra's bed.

I can't believe it. She's actually gone this time, my numb mind thinks. I shake my head in disbelief and lean over her.

"Oh, Shakra, there was so much I could have told you. I could have stopped this." I lean over more to kiss her forehead and find, quite surprising, that she's still warm. Not alive, just warm.

"I have only one chance for this." I say softly. There's a tale that says if you're truly meant to be with this person and you give them a kiss, you have to mean it, and they're not too mortally wounded, even if they're dead, you can save them. And even then, it only works in the rarest occasions and from people of magic. Or rather, mages. I smile slightly, wryly, and lean in to kiss Shakra.

I put my left hand behind her head to support it and my right rests on the bed, supporting me so I don't fall on her. I lick my lips and press them against Shakra's. Her lips are soft, and warm, even in death. I screw my eyes shut and will this to work.

I end the kiss and lean back to see if it worked. Nothing moves, nothing stirs, and nothing happens.

I clench my hands into fists and stand from the bed. It didn't work.

"Dammit!" I yell and spin away from her broken body.

"I loved you more than you thought." I whisper to no one. And with this, I disappear into the dark, leaving her room.

I walk out into the forest and sit down on the hammock that Shadow and Gwendolyn slept on. He could have just told me that she wasn't to be touched. I would have respected his request. I think there was more to that, knowing myself that most often than not, you don't say anything because of fear. He cares for her more than he thinks. And more than she thinks. I just hope they don't wait too long, when it's too late.

I bury my head in my hands and lean over, trying not to weep.

"Ahem. Can you please direct us to Miss Shakra? We need to speak with her." someone says.

I lift my head and focus on the six men in front of me. "You? You were the ones?"

The man shakes his head in confusion, "The ones? Which ones, may I ask?"

"No, you may not ask. But, you may die." I say quietly, to the point. I stand and make my way over to them.

"Die? I'm afraid I don't understand. We just need to speak with Shakra. Do you know where she is?" the man says, a small smile playing on his lips.

"I know where she is. Her soul is but a little way above our heads, staying for thine to keep her company. Either thou or I, or both, must go with her." I say dangerously, readying the Minish Cap. I don't use it much now, having no need, and keeping a promise to Ezlo: don't use the Cap except for in dire need. I think this counts as 'dire need'.

I summon a short sword to my left hand and a magic rod to my right. "Time to die." I say murderously.

The men scatter. I slash the one who spoke across the chest, splaying blood everywhere. He goes down, and I search for them next.

Finding three, I stab one with the sword and burn another with the rod. The third falls to the ground, trying to plead innocence. "I didn't know! Please don't kill me, I'll leave!" But my soul needs vengeance, so I quickly dispatch him, too. His blood goes all over my robe, so I discard it, leaving me with my tunic.

I search for the last two and I am rewarded. I find them behind my campsite, conversing with each other.

I sneak up on them, trying to hear their conversation.

"What do you think we should do? That man looked like he would kill us." the first man says, he has pale blonde hair.

"Well, what do you expect? We ourselves came to dispatch the girl." the second, with dark brown.

"How were we supposed to know that some vengeful man was going to try and kill us?" the first man's voice escalates to a near yell.

"Quiet! Do you want him to hear us?" the second man tries to hush the blonde.

"It's far too late for that." I reveal myself quietly.

"Oh no. Now look what you've done!" the second man says, looking over at his confidant.

"Came to kill Shakra?" I shake my head. "Not a good idea, not at all. Because you know what that means?"

Both of the men shake their heads.

"It means, you have to die." My eyes flash murderously and I slash the brown haired one at the neck, his blood spraying over my tunic. Crud. Another tunic ruined. I sigh, but the brown falls to the ground.

The blonde looks down in horror at his friend and then up at me. His eyes show defeat. He kneels and says to me, "Kill me. It's no more than I deserve. You might as well." If he's trying to get pity so I won't kill him, he's failing. "I mean, we did rape her, and beat her, and almost kill her. But, she got away, so we had to come get her so she wouldn't tell."

Oh, Master Ezlo, oh damn. They did WHAT to Shakra? "You're dead." I say, deadly as I've ever been.

And with that, the blonde drops, dead.

I turn away and walk towards my camp, away from the Ruins. "I'm so sorry, Shakra." I whisper into the wind. A tear escapes my control and slides down my cheek.