I don't have a lot to say, so I think I'll let this chapter speak for itself. Enjoy.
The wind whistled outside of the Halibut Lodge. The sun had already set hours ago, and the presence of thick clouds blocked all hope of moonlight. Halibut glowed alone on the white landscape turned black. On the front porch, the inner light illuminated the girl with hair the color of snow. Her feet pressed bare against the stone porch, her arms wrapped loosely around her knees as she dangled her phone before her, staring at it blankly.
She didn't move when the door groaned open behind her.
"Why're you in Zetsu?"
The voice sounded somewhat angry, but she didn't give it enough thought to recognize whose it was. Apparently they weren't asking to get an actual answer, though, considering they continued on with their rant.
"What the hell happened down there? Why're you the one running away when you made a woman cry? What'd you even say to her? Do you even have any idea what she's been going through since Ignatius stopped being able to work? Do you have any sympathy at all?"
The voice paused, breathing heavy. Then the person came closer and stood next to her, allowing her to vaguely note Kirsten's aggressive posture out of the corner of her eye. Snowflakes began to blow past, riding on the wind.
"What is wrong with you?"
She continued to stare at her phone, her hair in the wind the only part of her seeming to acknowledge the outside world.
"Come back and apologize."
Kirsten's voice was stony cold beyond his years, but that wasn't the bit that got through to Snake. She blinked, and her eyes returned to focus as she pondered the implications of his demand. She should of course go back and apologize. It was the right thing to do if you'd insulted someone. She would have no problem doing it. She didn't feel guilt, but then again, to her knowledge she never had. But that wouldn't be her motive to return to the basement. She wanted to go, but…
"Deliver my apology to Mrs. Smith."
"Like hell! Do it yourself!"
"Sorry, but I won't."
A short gust of warm air indicated the door had opened once again, but the new voice that accompanied it made Snake's blood freeze. "I think you should go."
"Come any closer to me, Illumi, and I will take it as an invitation to fight." Scales had already raised across every inch of her skin. He didn't heed her warning. He stepped out onto the porch, and in less than a second Snake had flipped and shot herself towards him. As usual, however, he was able to wrangle her without trouble. He restrained her against the floor, looming over her and holding both her wrists behind her back in one hand. His other hand laid on the floor beside her face, and without hesitation Snake sunk her teeth into the side.
The iron taste of blood surprised her enough that she let go.
"I don't get you Hunters," Kirsten cursed.
Illumi ignored the bystander. Instead he leaned down so Snake could see his face, his hair flicking alongside the snow in the wind. Above the stone porch, his hair and eyes blended with the dark of night.
"Go."
She didn't know how to respond. Still, Illumi seemed to understand that she had no intent to listen.
"Face it." He shifted in closer and slowly, intentionally, dug his teeth into her neck. When he moved away, he finished, "The villain has won."
He had. Unless she could save Ignatius, right her unintentional poisonings, he had won. There was a solution, but she couldn't. She could make antidotes. It was a necessity when messing with any sort of toxins that you had a fix so you could use it for bargaining, but the times she had made antidotes were few and far between. She only did it when she poisoned with the intention of healing. Otherwise, it was too hard.
Too hard to erase those expressions of despairing agony.
Too hard to stop Death's omnipotent march.
She couldn't save Ignatius. Seeing his crawl towards death had been too sweet.
Gradually, Illumi lightened the grip on her hands, and shifted off of her. Her eyes found the beaded red bite mark on his hand as she sat up.
"If you're done with your little tryst," Kirsten bit, "go and apologize to her yourself!"
She didn't want to apologize. She wanted to watch that woman break down over Death's seduction of her son to the point that she, too, began to fall into its grasp. But that would make her the villain.
But she had failed in being the hero. She couldn't do that anymore. She'd been trumped. A failed hero was tragic, but even more so were the heroes that fell to evil. Those who were dragged down into darkness.
And here was an assassin of the underworld, her sworn nemesis, guiding her firmly by then hand into the depths.
Had he had this planned when he asked her to accompany him? She didn't know. She couldn't fathom what would have made him decide on such a thing so quickly, but then again, this was Illumi. He could have had her dancing atop his palm from the beginning.
He offered her a hand to help her stand, and after a few seconds, she accepted.
Witness to this moment and knowledgeable about none of it, Kirsten stormed over to the door and yanked it open, making a jabbing motion to tell them to get inside. Illumi released Snake's hand and went in. She followed silently behind.
Before they could go anywhere, however, someone appeared at the top of the stairs. It was Jeni, and she was urgently yelling in some language again that Snake couldn't understand. When she saw she wasn't getting through to anyone, she paused for a moment. When she spoke again, she spoke somewhat choppily, but it sounded different. Kirsten's expression turned grim.
"Do either one of you have experience with medicine?" he suddenly asked.
"Nope."
Snake glanced at Illumi, then also said, "No."
The boy grimaced. "Course you don't." He dashed up the stairs, and Jeni immediately turned and led him down the hallway in haste.
Out of nowhere, Illumi prompted, "You should go with them."
"Why?"
"Because you'd enjoy it. Is there any more reason you need?"
Something bad had happened, then. Her scales had melted away, but curiosity brought goosebumps to the surface instead. She kept her face straight, however. Illumi, of course, didn't miss her subtle reaction. Her control was an apt quality to have, but even if it was useful, and even if he only sought after her for use, he couldn't deny he found some delight in breaking that practiced control of hers. Being both useful and having the rare potential to please him, he wouldn't be himself if he simply let her be.
Letting a hint of his smile show on his lips, he pressed a hand against her back, and pushed her forward with the tips of his fingers. She shivered at the touch, and raised her eyes to the second floor. Another few seconds, and she started up the stairs. Illumi did not miss the hypnotized gleam in her golden-flecked eyes.
Her mind did not stray from the thought of what awaited her as she trailed after Kirsten and Jeni. She didn't think to extend her En in search, but it wasn't hard to find the destination. The door was gaping open.
Three people stood within the room, the men in front of the queen-sized bed and Jeni standing back, her fingers kneading into her arm nervously as she stared at the others. A deep, painful cough cut through the room, and Kirsten was suddenly pushing a resisting Johnston back from the bed. The taller man spit foreign words at the boy as he fought to push past, and Kirsten struggled to stand his ground. He tried to say something in Johnston's language, but quickly gave up and switched to what he was more familiar with.
"It's too dangerous to move her! You'll only make it worse!"
The cough came again, accompanied by a wet, sputtering noise, and Jeni had to join in holding Johnston away from the bed. Someone began to wheeze. Then Johnston began to cough, and Jeni let go of him as if she'd been electrocuted, quickly moving back towards the door. It was then she finally realized Snake was there. She stood there for a moment, taking in the room. Then she muttered something incoherent and swept out of the room, forcing Snake to step aside and let her through. Johnston, who had continued to cough, was finally coaxed by Kirsten to sit down on the floor, and with him out of the way Snake could finally see the bed.
Blight's skin, unlike Ignatius', flushed red against pale sheets, her eyes clenched shut as she wheezed in shallow breaths. Then she was seized by another fit of coughs, a red dribble and spray joining the globs of blackish-red that sat glistening beside her maroon painted lips. Her pale blue hair stuck to the sides of her face, its ends steeped in the bloody phlegm.
She didn't even notice Illumi in the hallway, leaning against the wall so he could observe the expression on her face as she absorbed every bit of the scene.
As Blight fell into yet another round of deep-chest coughing, Johnston pushed up onto his knees and grasped desperately at the tense, red hand that shook just above the covers and began quietly but quickly whispering in whatever language it was he spoke. Kirsten fell back a step, panting, his eyebrows drawn together and his hands balled into fists.
Neither of them seemed to notice when one of Blight's eyes cracked open. Instead of her husband, or the young man who stood helpless, her unfocused gaze found Snake. Within its bleariness, there was the same old Blight. Stubborn, assured, and concerned for the very girl she saw. For the very girl who, with a breath full of poison, had ravaged her lungs and left her as she was now.
She didn't even know. She would never know.
A particularly choked hack ripped out of her throat, followed by a whistling gasp, and the Blight behind the bleariness slowly faded out.
Thoughts, opinions, or any comments are always welcome. I always appreciate you guys reading, and I hope you're enjoying my sadistic style of writing. Catch ya'll next chapter!