A/N: Legacy23 and I decided to collaborate. This chapter and the next chapter will compose of her writing and mine.I just thought that her story had a connection to mine so I asked her if we can combine our story. I'm glad she accepted. Thank you so much, Regashi! Thank you also Chabeli for the review. ^^ Marc is Regashi's original character.
Disclaimer: We don't own Soul Eater! D:
Chapter 36: Trigger
(By Sitakazukin)
The soldiers lay on the floor almost dead… wailing, wincing, screaming in pain, gripping the parts of their body where it hurts. Smoke formed by gunfire clouded up the room. The ignition caused the fire sprinklers to activate and soon everyone in the room was already wet. Black Star and the others stood firm in the midst of the soldiers, panting… satisfied with their victory. Across the hall was Kazune being pinned down on the ground by Scarlet who ignored the scratches and blood on Kazune's body, looked into his eyes with abhorrent, hating him with a burning passion for betraying his weapon. Kazune could only stare back with a face void of emotion, as if not injured greatly.
"How… howcome you hate Raven when he didn't do anything wrong to you?" Scarlet started to speak calmly as she was still holding Raven in his weapon form against Kazune's neck. "You selfishly thought that it was Raven's fault that you got hurt. If you didn't want something like that to happen, then you should have never let Raven leave!" she screamed as she closed her eyes.
Kazune showed a lopsided smile. "Hmph. How could I know that something like that would happen?" he said. "If you were listening carefully, I got beaten up when it was supposed to be Raven. That's the sole reason why I hate him. He had unfinished business yet he didn't do anything about it. But anyway…" He looked away. "I do realize my faults. Also… if I didn't let him leave… how could he have met you?"
Scarlet's eyes widened.
"How could you keep on living?" Kazune continued. "It's because of Raven that you remained alive, right?" He smiled again but without looking at Scarlet. "It's just too bad that the person who keeps you alive is… also the person who made you want to kill yourself."
Scarlet dropped Raven and held Kazune's collar with both of her hands. "Wh-what do you mean?" she shouted at him. "I haven't even met Raven before!" Raven changed back to his human form and stood beside Scarlet.
Kazune closed his eyes. "This is getting annoying." Suddenly they all heard the clicking of guns.
"Really now? Maybe you can tell us where Ren is… so she could do the explaining for all of us," Kid said, holding a pair of pistols, pointing them at Kazune while Crona stood behind him with Ragnarok in his weapon form.
"Crona and Kid sempai!" Scarlet gasped. Everybody else shouted their two friends' name in surprise but they didn't dare to make a step towards them yet. Kazune gazed up at Kid with wide eyes, couldn't believe that he and Crona are together again, safe, from the Book of Eibon.
"What the hell did that useless Gopher do?" he muttered in a small voice.
Kid chuckled. "He simply drank tea with poison." He smiled at Crona, knowing that it was Crona's idea… Crona's imagination that turned real. "The Book of Eibon is currently his happy place."
"Tch. How sarcastic you are."
"Oh, I'm not being sarcastic… not at all. I remember Gopher saying he wanted to be collected in The Book of Eibon… well... it turns out wishes do come true."
Kazune smirked. "So it really is true that you pay too much attention to details."
"Of course, as the god of order—"
Kazune averted his eyes away from Kid. "Just shut it. I don't want to hear anymore of your bullshit."
Kid had his usual annoyed look. He remained calm yet he still glared at Kazune. "Tsubaki, would you kindly chain up this insolent creature?"
Tsubaki flinched when he heard her name. "Hai!" she responded as she ran towards Kazune.
Black Star made a fist. "Hey, Kid! We missed you and Crona so it's nice that you both are back but that doesn't mean I'll give you the right to order my weapon around!" There went up a smoke out of his nostrils.
Kid sighed at Black Star as Tsubaki transformed her hair into chains and tightly wrapped Kazune with it, just like what she did to Mr. Sid a long time ago on their first extracurricular lesson.
Kim, Jacqueline, Liz and Patty hugged Crona as the others surrounded her and Kid.
Kazune gritted his teeth when he felt his body constrict. He squinted at Kid. "If you're looking for Ren, she's in the throne room."
"There's a throne room in here?" Black Star shouted as he skidded next to Kazune and held his shoulders. "Where? ! Where ? ! I hope there's a throne chair!"
Kazune narrowed his eyes, obviously annoyed. "Yesss… But apparently, Ren is sitting on it right now, waiting for you guys... especially Raven."
Raven glanced at Kazune. "I have a feeling we'll be facing an ambush," he said calmly yet firm.
"You and your assumptions. She's only after you… and Kid. Besides, you've already beaten up almost all the soldiers in this lair."
Kid still kept his eyes on Kazune but looked at him even more intense when he mentioned his name. "That's not much of a surprise," he said then turned around. "Is there anyone here who knows where the throne room is?"
Everybody looked clueless. Kid sighed a little. He faced Kazune again. "Well since nobody seems to know the way, I guess we will have to trust you."
"Why the heck should we after what he did to us?" Licorice shouted as she pointed at Kazune but looked at Kid.
"You're… Licorice, right?" Kazune said, giving Licorice a quizzical look.
Licorice folded her arms in front of her chest and looked down at Kazune who was tied up with chains. "A-huh. Why?" she responded coldly.
Kazune glared at her. "Nothing. I just expected you to be more less immature."
"Wh-what did you just say? !" Licorice said as she tried to walk towards Kazune but Raven held the back of her shirt and pulled her back.
"Let it go, Lico," Raven said in monotone.
"Shut up! Let go of me, emo guy!" Raven did let go of Licorice, finally, but it caused her to fall down, made her face the ground. "You're gonna pay for that," she muttered, her voice muffled by the floor.
Kazune chuckled. Raven stared at him in surprise and when Kazune saw this, he quickly looked away and remained silent.
"So what are we going to do with these soldiers?" Black Star asked Kid.
"Good question," Kid said then kneeled beside Kazune, rummaged his pocket and found two smoke bombs that can make people drowsy. "This should do the trick," he said, smiled and stood up. "Everyone from Shibusen should leave this room with Kazune before I throw these smoke bombs here."
"What about Soul and Maka sempai?" Scarlet asked.
"We'll split into two. Jacqueline, Kim, Kilik, Ox, Harvar, Hei, Dominique, Pot of Fire and Thunder… you go find and save Soul and Maka. The rest will come with me."
"Roger that," Dominique said and smirked.
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(By Legacy23)
Soul opened his eyes slowly. His vision was blurry. While he tried regaining his consciousness, he knew he was kneeling and leaning on a wall. His arms were free and it was dangling on his sides. He felt his hands wrapped around something, something cold steel. 'What?' He thought, he stood up and walked forward, he then felt a tug on his arms and his hands falling behind and heard clinking. When he again walked a little more forward, his arms were nearly outstretched from the back. 'The hell?' His vision was almost clear and saw his arms and hands tied with chains, the chain was attached to the wall he just leaned on. His hands though were not tied together.
When he tried breaking free with swings and pulls, it was no use. His arms became sore and hot, he panted and sweat. The only free thing that was free was his legs and feet. Walking away wouldn't do any good because of these chains. He gave up and dropped to his knees. His vision became really clear now. His black jacket doesn't seem to be dirty, his orange shirt has no stain or drenched with anything. His pants and shoes were still on him. Everything seemed normal, except for the chains and the room he was staying in. The room was very dark. Where his body was, was where the light shone, a light bulb that is. There was a very small window that only a rat could fit in, it was slightly open. He saw the moon, it was smiling as usual. 'Evening already?' Soul thought.
"Ah… So you have awakened." A voice said. It was familiar. It was a voice of a teenage boy, a voice of his own age. "Who's there?" Soul said.
"Who's there?" The voice repeated what Soul have said . "Don't you remember? I am from shibusen too, you know?"
"Just show your face already!" Soul said again.
"Fine, fine… You win." After he said that, he came out from the shadows and stepped in the light, his features showed. Blue eyes, short black hair and his body were a bit muscled. He seems calm; the smile that appeared on his face looked more like a grin. His clothes were normal. White sleeveless shirt and black loose jeans with a black belt, he also wore black shoes that were formal. "Marc?" Soul said.
"Yes, that is me. A weapon with no partner." Marc answered.
"What did you do to me? Why am I tied up?" Soul Asked.
"Don't you know? Must I really answer? Instead, don't you want to see your lover?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Soul Questioned. Marc frowned.
"You know exactly what I am talking about! Don't be a mindless Shit!" Marc answered, almost shouting. He then grinned and chuckled. He went over to a wall and flicked a switch. The entire room was lightening; it was more like his room, an empty one. But something else caught his attention and nearly his life. He looked straight at a teenage girl, the same as his age. She too was standing. Her hands were tied together with a rope, but her arms were held up. Her left eye opened just a little to see Soul. She lifted her head weakly, to meet his eyes. She looked beaten and tired. "Soul?" She said in a whisper due to her throat that was sore.
"Maka!" Soul shouted, he was furious and stood up, he tried running towards her, but the chains won't budge, he pulled even harder, but it was no use. Maka was just a few yards away, if only he could touch her. Maka was not wearing her black Jacket; she was also not wearing her sleeveless yellow sweat shirt, she was barefoot and her hair was not in pigtails, it was loose. She still had her fighting gloves on, her white shirt that was buttoned was now unbuttoned and messy, five buttons were out of place and her chest showed a little. Her red miniskirt with black lines was a little down to her right, her waist showed because of that and a part of her stomach showed because of her loose white polo shirt. The rope that was attached to the ceiling kept her from falling.
"Marc! You bastard! God Damn you!" Soul shouted to Marc. "You will pay for this!" Soul did not stop struggling from his place. "Maka!" He said again. Maka did not respond, her dark forest green eyes and her face told everything. Her head fell and her eyes closed again. She was very tired and mostly hurt.
"Why? Why did you do this?" Soul asked angrily. Marc frowned again.
"You want to know why? I'll tell you why! It is because of you! You did this to me! You made me do these things!" He shouted.
"But why? Why her? If you wanted revenge you should have just taken me!" Soul said.
"You don't get it do you!" Marc talked back. "I did this to break your heart."
"What have I done?" Soul asked. Marc laughed.
"I guess you are a mindless shit." He said. Marc went a bit closer to Soul. "Let me tell you a story, behind the scenes." Marc rubbed his hands together and started. "I wanted Maka to be my partner, you see. But of course she told me that "you" will never be replaced for another partner. Well, if that doesn't work, I tried letting her love me. But that too never worked, it never worked when I first saw you! I can't even spend time with her, instead, you were the one having most of it. Whenever I talked to her, you always come in my way. You made me do this, I really didn't mean too." Marc said, he was angry, his eyes turned into a very dark navy blue filled with hate. He then patted his shirt and calmed himself. "Heh, then I realized. You loved her first."
"Shut up!" Soul said. Marc raised an eyebrow.
"What? You don't love her?" He asked. Soul did not respond but stared at him with piercing red flaming eyes. "Tell me Soul Eater Evans. Do you love her?" He asked again and poked him.
"I said shut the fuck up!" Soul shouted.
"What! Are you saying you don't care? Huh! What Soul? What's it going to be?" Marc shouted right back at him. Soul still did not respond, his blood was boiling, his hands clenched into a fist. "Tell me Soul!" He said out loud. He then pointed at Maka, making way so Soul could see her clearly. "What? Do you love her?" Marc continued. "What? TELL ME!"
"Yes! I love her!" Soul finally said out loud, Maka heard what he said and slightly lifted her head again, she looked at him. "I love her..." Soul then whispered, Maka and Marc still heard him though. "Are you happy now, you son of Bitch?" Soul asked. Marc chuckled and saw Maka's eyes looking at Soul.
"You know what I am about to do?" Marc asked. Soul did not say anything but looked up to him in question. "Remember when I said I am going to break your heart? Well, this is how." Marc went behind Maka's back. Soul watched him carefully. Marc put his face beside Maka's and wrapped his arms around her waist. Marc grinned.
"Wha- What are you doing you bastard?" Soul questioned. Marc chuckled again.
"I'm not the original Marc you knew. I'm different. As you have known, after the Kishins defeat, I was affected with the madness ever since. I learned how to control it, but then, I couldn't when you were the one who broke my heart." Marc said.
"Don't do this, we can help you!" Soul said.
"I don't need any damn help! Marc is gone! I am the new one! You know nothing of me! I am not Marc!" He talked back.
"Then who are you?" Soul asked.
"I already told you. I am the new one." Marc responded and then chuckled. "And don't worry. You won't remember anything after I kill you." He then used his right hand to tilt Maka'a chin so that she could slightly face him, he turned his head slowly, his cheek in contact with hers, his skin running smoothly. He smiled and let his lips flow through. Maka tried to pull away but she was too weak for his strong hand.
"No…" Maka mumbled.
"S-Stop that you piece of Shit!" Soul shouted. Soul was struggling from the chains again, putting all force, but then he stopped. He was utterly shocked when Marc pressed his lips hard on Maka's.
There was no use pulling away but to close her eyes tightly and hoping it would all go away. Marc switched his position of his lips on the other side and sucked hard, taking every taste. He switched again and sucked her upper lip and left it there for a while, he then switched at the corner of her lower lip without moving away his own and went back on the center. He felt the urge to put his whole mouth into it, his heart was shouting out for more and did what it was told and did put his whole mouth onto Maka's. It was fully on and his tongue started to flick out, licking her lips and the inside of her mouth. He opened his mouth even bigger, his own saliva falling on Maka's own mouth and lips. "Stop…" Maka said weakly under his lips, pulling away as hard as she could. Marc however did stop; he licked his lips, taking any leftover of Maka's sweetness in. "Delicious." He said. Soul was quiet. His eyes saw the whole thing. Maybe he should die. 'Wrong!' His inner voice said. 'Don't leave Maka you pansy! And don't be a mindless shit!' It continued. 'Maka…." His own self whispering in his mind. 'This is definitely not Marc.'
"I'm just getting started." Marc said.
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(By Sitakazukin)
The empty stillness stretched on so long. Ren have curled up her legs and rested her forehead upon her knees as she sat on the gold throne chair with black cushions. Darkness enveloped her. Even the large windows were fully covered with long crimson curtains, preventing moonlight to enter the large room. With one hand, she held a silver gun, a gun that could kill both a human and a vampire.
Light from the hallway slowly brightened up a small portion of the room when Kid and Raven pushed open the large wooden doors. Still facing down, a grin flashed on Ren's face when she sensed that Raven and the others are near already. Kid, Crona, Scarlet were already holding their respective partners in weapon forms. Black Star remained weaponless since Tsubaki was still captivating Kazune with her chains yet he stood boldly; ready to fight with the use of his soul menace and madness release.
"That girl sitting on the throne…" Kazune whispered as he and the others stared at the dark figure from afar.
"That's Ren, right? !" Black Start shouted. "Listen up, Ren! I will never… ever… forgive you for stealing too much attention… for stealing my spotlight! But what I mostly cannot forgive is that you tricked us!"
Suddenly the chandeliers were turned on. Ren stood up, placed a hand on her hip, looked down and smiled. "It's not my fault that you were all so gullible." Her smile faded when she saw Crona with Kid and Kazune wrapped in chains. "How… how did this happen?"
"I'm sorry, mistress, but I have failed to do my duty," Kazune said ever so politely as he bowed his head. Ren's eyes that have widened slowly narrowed.
"I am disappointed of you, Kazune. You should have never allowed Crona to come out of the Book of Eibon until she attains the necessary amount of madness to make her the next kishin."
"Don't blame Kazune," Kid said as he stepped forward. "I was the one who forcefully took Crona out of that dreadful book."
"Kid…" Crona said softly behind him.
"Idiot," Kazune whispered, referring to Kid.
Ren stared at Kid for a long time, trying to see if he was lying or not. "Just to get out of topic, if I were you weapons, I'd change back to normal. It's not like we're going to kill each other here. I just want a good conversation." The meisters looked at each other and nodded. The weapons transformed back to their human forms. "Anyway, Kid, I don't know how the hell you got into the book but I wish you never did that." She stepped downwards on the small stair case from the stage. She hugged herself, closed her eyes as she continued to step forward, her heels killing the silence of the room. "It must have been very sad for you to go back to the place where you have embraced nihility." She opened her eyes and looked at Kid again. "Atleast you came back alive. Still, you didn't have to bring the makenshi with you. When would you realize that you and she are total opposites? That you and her are not meant for each other? She was born to become a kishin. You were born to become a shinigami. A shinigami is supposed to defeat a kishin along with the meisters and weapons. I just wanted to keep things in order, Kid, like you would want it. You're the god of order, right?" She turned around. "You should be able to understand. You, yourself was the one who said, 'I do not deny evil, nor do I believe that any human is completely free of malice. Everything must be in balance. As long as evil and good maintain equilibrium in this world there is no problem. Perfect balance is the key to everything.' If you exist as the next shinigami, and if Crona exists as the next kishin, there would be a balance. So howcome you don't want that to happen? Howcome you took her out of the Book of Eibon when she was undergoing the process of becoming the next Kishin?" She turned around to face Kid again. "Howcome you could love someone who's supposed to be your enemy?"
Crona and Kid flinched. Somehow, they both felt guilty after hearing Ren's words. Kid faced down and smiled. "I am going to be honest with you, Ren," he said. "I understood what you just said and see the good in it but… we believe that people and everything can change… that destiny is just a word… and that anyone can love whoever they want… despite of their differences. Crona here never wanted to be a kishin. All her life, she has been forced to do things according to other people's demand. And when she couldn't accomplish her goal, she would simply be locked in a dark room for many days without food and water… and inevitably bullied by an entity that comes out from her spine. When she was finally on our side, she began a new life. She rose from the ashes. She shared her melancholy with me. She stifled my indignation towards anything asymmetrical or unjust… because she herself was the embodiment of asymmetry and imperfection. She's an imperfect being… but there are many reasons to love her. She made me realize that imperfection can be beautiful too. How do you think it's possible for someone who went through a lot of tragedy could still be so humble, so shy, selfish, soft and caring? If I were that person, I probably could have cracked up and become the ultimate evil. So that's why… I realized Crona was just an innocent girl, unintentionally doing crimes for the sake of being obedient and loyal to her creator. She only wanted a peaceful life… and she had it when she was on our side already. She is… how can I say this?" He smiled. "She's an angel disguised as a demon."
A tear escaped Crona's eye.
"Ren," Kid stared at her. "Even without a kishin, there's still a huge amount of cruelty in this world. That's sufficient to keep things in balance. And I am more than willing to lead the institution that will go against the evilness, to promote peace. For your information, it had been decided already that Crona is one of the students in Shibusen. If she would go and become the next kishin, that would be another betrayal. She betrayed us numerous times before but that was only because she was still under the manipulation of Medusa. She is the one who chose to be a student in Shibusen, she's the one who gave up on becoming the next kishin, and she's the one who killed her own mother who neglected her… made her suffer for more than fifteen years. So, Ren, you have no right to decide for Crona's future."
Ren started clapping. "Bravo, Kid! Bravo! I am at awe," she said without faking. "This is why I love you! You stay strong to your beliefs, stay loyal to the ones you love and most importantly… you stay competent for the position of being the next shinigami."
Everyone was shocked at Kid's words and Ren's sudden mood.
Ren started walking back towards the throne chair. "I never really expected you to say such things, Kid. But you made your point and I respect it." She sat down on the chair, crouched a little, held her knees and sighed. "I only wanted your wish to come true. You wanted the world to be balanced, right? I already gave you and Crona a reason to hate each other but because you love her so much, you were still persistent in retaining her. I admire such passion but in the same time, I am pained that it isn't for me."
"But why, Ayame… why are you so desperate to have Kid?" Tsubaki asked hesitantly.
Ren raised her head and looked at Tsubaki. "Oh, Tsubaki, I almost forgot that you're there," she said. "I'd answer that question but it's still not the right time." She smiled. "By the way, you do know why my name isn't Ren anymore, right?" Tsubaki could only look at Raven, in search of answer. Ren chuckled. "So I guess it's the only secret that Raven didn't tell you about. Well… since I became a different person… more like a different creature… I decided to change my name. It was essential for me to forget about my past… because if not, I wouldn't get to do what I was forced to do… to kill our relatives." She stared at Tsubaki solemnly. Tsubaki covered her mouth and gasped. "Just like a zombie that crawls out of the land… the past makes a way to the surface… to your current thoughts. It eats you up, knowing the things that happened before. I thought… maybe… just maybe… if I changed my name, it would be a good start for me to be able to forget about the past that was killing me. It's the same with Raven." She and the others looked at Raven. "He desperately wanted to forget the past like me when we were apart. We both have the same reason. If you became a vampire, you would understand. You will have to accept that you're no longer human… that you cannot do the things that normal humans do anymore. It might sound cool to some people but to us… it's like a living hell." She covered her face with her palm then stood up once again but this time she was holding the silver gun. "Don't worry, guys, this gun is no match for all of you. I just wanted someone to realize something." She walked towards the window and pushed away the long red curtain. Morning sunlight made her face glisten. "Speaking of secret and Raven. I'm quite disappointed that Raven told you about my secret." She faced them all and looked at Raven. "Raven, you do know the consequence for doing that, don't you?" Silence was the only response. "Stoic as always, huh?"
"Despite of the consequence, I told them what I needed to tell them, not for the sake of embarrassing you or anything," Raven finally said. "If I didn't tell them, they won't understand why you're like this."
Ren stood next to Raven and looked at him in the eyes. "I tried so hard to bury the past yet you brought it up and worse… mentioned it to many people. I consider it rude no matter how you think it's not. But I guess…" She wrapped her arms around Raven. "You only cared for your big sister." Everyone's eyes widened as Ren closed her eyes and smiled.
"Let me go."
Ren did. Then she stepped backwards.
"I forgot… I shouldn't consider you as my little brother anymore. My own brother betrayed me… the brother I risked my life for. How did it come to this?" She looked at Scarlet. "If it wasn't because of you, Vander, my brother would have stayed by my side." Then she looked at Crona. "And if it wasn't because of you, Makenshi, Kid would have been mine. This is why I'm a misogynist sometimes even though I, myself, am a girl." she turned around. "Girls are bitches who are desperate to take what they want." Her shoulders twitched as she chuckled. "But let me ask you this, Vander. Do you know exactly what happened to your parents?" In the corner of her eyes, she saw Scarlet flinch.
"Wh-what do you know about them?"
Ren faced Scarlet. "I'll get to the point. Your parents died in a car accident. The cause is still unknown but only a few people know the real cause and I'm actually one of those people."
"Tell me. Please tell me what you know!"
"Why don't you ask Raven yourself? He's also one of the people who know. In fact, he witnessed what happened. You guys were almost always together yet you haven't figured it out yet?" She laughed.
"I don't… want to mistrust my partner."
"Well, that's stupid of you. You should consider that friends can be enemies too." Ren closed her eyes and sighed again.
Scarlet faced Raven. "Raven… what happened?"
"I doubt that Raven will tell you," Ren interrupted. "So let me do the honors."
Scarlet glared at Ren. "But you said I should ask him."
"That was only a suggestion." Ren smiled. "Anyway… Scarlet Vander, you were grief stricken when your parents died it almost made you want to kill yourself already. This wouldn't happen if… if Raven did not cross the street, your parents wouldn't have crashed. If Raven did not have the hunger for blood, your parents could have stayed alive. Basically, it was Raven who killed your parents!"
Scarlet's eyes widened in shock. She couldn't believe what she just heard.
"You thought Raven is your savior for giving you a reason to live more but he's actually also the person that caused the accident… the one that made you suicidal!" She chuckled. "How ironic."
"Raven…" Scarlet, Crona and Tsubaki whispered as they faced Raven. Raven just stared at the ground, face deadpan.
"How do you feel now after knowing the truth? Your purpose for staying alive is to find the person who killed your parents, right? You wanted to avenge your parents. You wanted to kill the person who killed your parents." She slightly grinned then she threw the silver gun to the floor near Scarlet. She turned around. "If I were you, I'd kill that person in front of you." She started walking back towards the throne chair and soon she was sitting on it again. She watched Scarlet pick up the gun. Raven didn't move at all. He just stood there. He just kept staring on the ground like he used to minutes ago. It was as if he didn't want to do anything anymore.
"Master, don't!" Licorice shouted but Scarlet just ignored her. Ragnarok placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a sign that she shouldn't interrupt.
"Don't do it, Scarlet," Kid advised calmly from afar. "If you shoot, you will be no different from the person who killed your parents."
Scarlet's hands were shaking as she held the gun. "Raven… I… I can't believe you did that. I… trusted you more than anyone. Why must... why must you be the person who killed my parents? You were the one who motivated me to find the killer. Yet… it was you all along!" A tear ran down Scarlet's face as she gritted her teeth.
Ren frowned, looking bored already. "Took you long enough," she said nonchalantly as she rested her head on her fist. Her elbow was on the handler of the chair and her other hand was on her lap.
"I only wanted to give you a reason to keep on living," Raven said. He still kept facing down. "I never thought this day would come so early." He smiled. "But I have always anticipated this." He raised his head and glanced at Scarlet. "I prepared myself for this day." He held the muzzle of the gun that was in Scarlet's hand and made it face his chest, exactly where his heart is. He placed his thumb against Scarlet's index finger that was on the trigger of the gun. Scarlet gasped.
"Raven!" Licorice shouted.