(3)

The Red

Chapter 21

Sympathy

I slash, she claws. I claw, she kicks. I kick, she punches, I punch, she slashes, and the cycle rolls on and on and on. Eventually we're both at the opposite sides, fangs hissing venom at all of us, and sweat falling in heavy packs on the ground. "You don't…give up…do you…?" she spits, actual spit coming out.

Black flashes and muffled roars surround us. We're both breathing heavily, her digging her claws into her palms and I, all alone here, clutching the leather wraps of the Katana swords. "I'm…known…for…that…" I huff. "You going first…or do I have to lop your disgusting head off right here and now?"

She cackles silently. "Then you can't help…that stupid btch…"

I snarl. "She's not…a btch, coward…if anyone…the btch is you…"

She hisses and charges, allowing me to slash across her face and kick up at her ribs, sending her up and jumping to twirl and slam my tip-toes against the upper rib cage, specks of blood sprinkling over my pure hazel hair. She skids and I turn to Rosa and Vanessa. They're both trying to think, shrieking each time a vine mouth comes close. Akishiko rolls her eyes. "What weaklings…characters…are those?"

I snarl and my head pounds. I scream and drop both Katana swords.

"Come on Mi…last chance…"

Blood is smeared over the gray brick walls, spelling out 'help me' and 'get her out'. I'm sick. Mack warned me. I was too stupid to listen. "Shut up!" I scream, kicking the wall. "I'm stronger than you! One day I'll be free and Rosa and Vanessa will be taken care of properly!"

"Mi-chan!" Rosa cries, Vanessa hugging her and patting her back.

"Mi-chan, don't let her control you!" Vanessa cries as well. "Don't let her-"

"Stupid," Sorrow laughs. "Hopefully I'll meet someone more useful than you trash."

The hand with the gun shakes and the other hand cocks it. I don't want to die, but Sorrow has complete control over my body, but not my mind and spirit. The cold mussel reaches my temple, both characters tugging at it to draw it away. "I'm sorry…" I cry. "I'm sorry Daddy, Mommy, Bono, Li…"

Sorrow makes me pull the silver trigger.

I gasp as something shoves into my left lung, right below the heart. Blood gurgles up my throat and Akishiko releases the handle of one Katana, smirking. "There we are. Nice and…" she shoves me to the ground of the roof. "Dead."

I snarl and my hand flashes to the handle, ripping it out and shoving it in her skull. "Take that X out now, or your brains will be my new trophy."

She sighs and shakes her head, smiling. "You just don't get it, huh?" she laughs. "You only have 20 hours, and the fight is still going. My friend, you will NOT save that useless trash."

I twist the Katana and shove the other up her stomach, blood streaming down to meet my hand, warm and sticky. Sometimes I wonder how this is T. This is one of those times. "Get. That. X. Off."

"Make…OW. Me..." she snickers.

I grab a fistful of her hair and turn to Rosa. "Rosa, can you fly in Character Transformation?"

She shrugs and I sigh. "Okay, we'll try!" she gulps. "Maki's heart: Unlock! Character Transformation: Rose Thorn!"

The uniform appears, eyes shifting to green, and I slam the Uzi at the side of Akishiko's face, jamming it in her spine and kicking up, shooting thorns at the vines and they beat us down. "OW!" I groan. "Vanessa, your turn!"

"Okay! Character Transformation: Autumn Thorn!"

The uniform shifts to her own, the Uzi instead loading with razor sharp leaves, and doubling. I smirk and aim, firing and the vines separating, but I can tell it's not going to be long. I grab the back of Akishiko's collar and jump up, going through and racing the roof tops to the academy. Level E's try to stop me, but Nana shifts me to Rose Positive, making my eyes the regular navy blue once more, and I toss the batons, all of them forming the 'X' after Kaki uses dark souls. "MAKI!" she cries. "WHERE ARE YOU GOING?"

"TO GET THAT X OFF OF YUKI!" I answer. "KEEP THEM-HOLY MOTHER RICE BALLS!" A huge muscled one jumps in front of me and causes me to fall on my butt, Akishiko trying to scramble off, but I grab her ankle. It raises a fist and I scream, a Bloody Rose bullet and a claw reducing it to billowing ask that gets in my eyes. "OW MY EYES! OH GD THAT HURT!"

"Sorry," I hear a familiar chuckle.

I smile up at Ikuto. "Mind helping me out?"

He shrugs and picks up Akishiko. "LET ME GO!" she screams. "YOU SHOULDN'T BE BEATING ME!"

"SHUT UP!" I slap her. "Zero, keep them busy please?"

He nods. "Just go! We'll be fine Maki!"

I smile. "LOVE YOU!" He blushes slightly and returns, Ikuto giving me the anime T_T look. "What?" I whine.

"You. Have. A. Boy. Friend," he thwacks (it's a word) my forehead.

"Hey!" I complain. "More saving, less relationship issues!"

He rolls his sexy indigo anime eyes and we race off again. Yuki, we ARE going to save you.

-XxX-

Okay, in the academy, and looking at my rainbow watch provided by Quartz, we have 18 hours (two hours are you serious?). We race for the infirmary and Akishiko huffs. "You're never getting me to remove that X."

"You're never killing me then," I snarl in reply. We burst through the doors and I cover my mouth, rushing next to the blood soaked bed. "YUKI! YUKI WAKE UP!"

"Ma…Maki…?" she stutters, squinting at me like an old hag.

"STAY WITH ME DMNIT!" I shake her shoulders. "AKISHIKO REMOVE IT!"

"Hurry…"

I look at the window to see LynX in her form, coughing up blood and hugging her ribs. I nod and Ikuto hands Akishiko to me. "Come on!" I shake her roughly. "REMOVE IT GD DMNIT!"

She spits in my eye, making Ikuto yank her away and slap her across the face. "JUST REMOVE IT!" he screams. "AND DON'T YOU EVER MISTREAT MAKI LIKE THAT!"

I sigh and rub the saliva out of my now stinging eye. "Ikuto, not the problem here."

He sighs and nods, gripping Akishiko's right arm firmly, keeping the palm closed. "NOW," he snarls. "Either remove it…" he holds up his claws, "or die in the next couple of hours slowly and painfully."

"Ha, never knew you were the murder type," she snickers.

Yuki forces herself up, pushing down against my shoulder, and grabs Akishiko's neck, gripping it with all her remaining strength. "Evascu Te Lame Ti Oslo."

A light appears and Akishiko screams in pain. "AGH! HOW DID YOU-"

Yuki smirks like she always does and holds up a phone. "Called Speed Dial."

"GO YUKI!" I cheer, purple pom-poms in hand with ^^ eyes. I freeze and mope anime style. "Nana…not now…"

"Evascu Te Lame Ti Oslo," Yuki repeats.

The light tears through her wounds. "STOP IT!" Akishiko screams. "STOP!"

"Then remove this X," Yuki coughs, her nails digging into the throat. "Remove it or be purified by good-natured Lisaji."

Ikuto and I glance at each other and shrug. Eh, whatever floats her boat. "FINE!" Akishiko groans.

I gap. "THAT'S IT?" I flail my arms. "I NEARLY DIE AND ALL IT TAKES IS FIVE FCKING WORDS ARE YOU FCKING KIDDING ME? GD DMNIT THIS STORY COULD'VE BEEN OVER SO SOONER IF THAT WERE TO ACTUALLY BE TOLD!"

The room blinks, even the nearly dying people. "Sorry, but huh?" LynX gaps.

"That's Maki for you…" Yuki sweat drops.

Akishiko places a hand over the X and it jumps off alright, but only to slam into my forehead. "MAKI!" Ikuto cries, releasing Akishiko's palm.

She lifts it up into the air and the infirmary rattles. Veins shoot from the ground and she cackles with red eyes. "ALL OF YOU DIE!"

"MAKI!" Yuki and Ikuto scream.

"Don't even think about it."

I freeze and gulp. "U-u-u-u-uh…"

"I said don't. Now beat it punk."

I bite my lip. You going to let her push you around? "Since when is this your cafeteria?" I raise a brow. "It's a seat. It's NOT going to infect anyone with the Swine Flu."

She turns to glare. "I said GO. If you have a problem…" she stands, vectors slipping out. "I'm glad to settle it the old fashion way."

I sigh and shake my head. "If you have to make SUCH A BIG FCKING DEAL about it, I'll go," I roll my eyes with plenty of sarcasm. "Just remember Amma, Number 24." I pick up my tray and walk next to a first-grader. "Hello," I smile. "I'm Amma."

She scoots to the far end. "S-Stay away from me!"

I raise a brow. "Why? Is something wrong?" She keeps trembling. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you." I smile as I feel a warm presence. "I want to be your friend."

The doors of the cafeteria open. "Number 24," a feminine voice snaps.

I turn to drop my tray. This woman…She's a traitor…but hey…it's not like that's new…

Now I see. The X-Negative is that voice she's hearing. 24 is also the place of X in the alphabet. And now that I see another person's view…the X-Negative isn't bad at first, it's just a depressed version of your twin. In the black, a light glows in the form of the halo with the spine mold. "MAKI!" the faint echo of Ikuto's cries ring.

"MAKI!" Zero also cries.

Okay, what's with the jacked up time schedule? "Maki-chan!" Rosa cries. "Please! Don't die like Mi! We don't want to loose you to!"

"MAKI-CHA!" Quartz sobs.

Someone slaps me. "WAKE UP!" Kaki screams like a drill sergeant. "YOU'RE BETTER THAN TO JUST NEARLY DIE LIKE THIS EVERY TIME THINGS GET A WITTLE TOO TOUGH!"

"What are you, Elmer Feud?" Yuki snaps. "THAT'S NOT GONNA HELP!"

I grab someone's nose and yank it. "OW!" Ikuto roars. "MAKI! THAT HURTS!"

I smile and open my eyes slowly to Zero, Kaname, Yuki, Yuuki, Ikuto, the characters, and Kaki. "Yo…" They all hug me. "OKAY! MOVE ON! KEEP GOING ON! GET OFF!"

They laugh and I cling to Zero from fatigue. He sighs and sets me on a bed, Zero glaring at him. "What? She was clinging to me," Zero smirks, shrugging innocently.

They start fighting and I sigh, Kaki and Yuki sitting on the foot of the bed along with Yuuki, Kaname still in Character Change trying to bring peace. I sigh and look up into the florescent light.

It's sunset. It's hot. I'm clad in nothing but bandages, the rest of my body just bare sweat-drenched skin. A flash of that girl with hazel hair and ice shooting from her X Negative ring in some school dorm comes in and I clutch my head, curling up into an abandoned box. "Whoever you are, who has a sad life like I…" I twist my fingers around the horns, pink strands of my ponytailed hair also tangling. "…I hold many sympathy for you. Evascu Te Lame Ti Oslo. Many hopes light will heal you."

I shut my eyes, smiling widely. I hold sympathy for you to Amma.

TWO MORE CHAPTERS! Okay, here's a basic format of how this series is going to work:

(1)-My Patch of Ice and Blood

(2)-No More Sorrow

(3)-The Red *YOU ARE HERE*

(4)-*revealed soon*

(5)

(6)

(7)

Maybe an eighth if you guys so desire. The eight will be a collection of tales of the life after (7), whether some characters are missing or not (not saying who).

Questions

One-Do you hold sympathy for Amma to?

Two-Do you think Kaki is EVER going to NOT hurt someone already injured?

Three-What do you think the best moments of this story are?