Initiation
. o .
In the end, there is blood. There always is. Quietly, she cleans it from the metal plates on her gloves, applying a gentler hand to the leather; worn crimson is welcoming the fresh dye.
It is the first time she feels nothing, and she can sense the worried looks from her companions; she is smiling absently, and she knows she never smiles after a fight. She wants to scream that she isn't broken, she's been there and it's nothing like this but the words elude her.
The beauty of the company she keeps is that they already know.
. o .
…finis…
. o .
Disclaimer: What's true in the previous chapters remains true through this one. Square's, yo.