A/N: Well, hello there. Been a minute since I last updated. Things have been kinda busy so...it took me a while to sit down and finish the chapter you guys are about to read. I struggled quite a bit trying to figure out how I wanted this particular chapter to go because, while it is not the final chapter of the story, from this point forward...things are going to go kinda fast in terms of plot progression, but more on that in the ending author's note. For now, I think it's best to just get this ball rolling. You guys have been waiting a while...again...
One of these days I'll get in control of my whack update schedule...but today is not that day. I hope you guys will enjoy what's written below. God bless you all!
An additional note: Within this story there is a date inconsistency that I haven't had a chance to fix in earlier chapters yet. Everything that's taking place currently with Mina happens on December 21st, but at one point in this story I got confused and started writing it as December 23rd. Until I go back and fix the inconsistency, just know that all this madness with Mina is taking place on the 21st.
Special Note: This chapter is dedicated to one of my best friends, who won't be named because she'd beat me with a metal pipe if I did. Love you girl! Stay strong!
Disclaimer: We don't have time for this today, but I did use a scripture in this chapter. James 3:10. I don't own that...or any of the properties used in this Fanfiction. Just the original characters and this admittedly grim scenario.
Warnings: Just...everything. A lot happens. This story is rated M now for a reason. Lots of violence and emotional turmoil awaits below. There are descriptions of gore in this one too so...just tread carefully.
Chapter 117
Unravel Part 2
Every story has an ending.
So too does every life.
But here we go again...
Starting from the beginning like a song on loop...
"I throw all of your stuff away,
And I clear you out of my head.
I tear you out of my heart,
And ignore all your messages."
I hear those words roar from the car's stereo. More follow to taunt me as my hands tremble against the steering wheel. With scrambled thoughts and a racing heart, I listen as the chorus starts. The lyrics are written from the perspective of a girl trying and failing to let go of a relationship that's toxic and addictive in equal measure. They hit a little too close to home...
Here we go again...
The cycle repeats over and over and over.
Unable to take the reminder, I turn the stereo volume down. Some of the words still escape from the speakers, but they're drowned out by the roar of the wind. I'd let the windows and the hood of my convertible down earlier despite the brisk chill in the air. I thought the cold would help me think more clearly.
Instead it's a trigger for memories that pierce through me like bullets.
The consequences of all my choices rob me of breath as I glance over at my cell phone lying face up on the passenger seat. The GPS tracker is on so I don't get off on the wrong exit, but as I check my position my eyes drift to digital numbers on the upper right corner of the screen.
11:28 a.m.
December 21st, 2017
~11:28 p.m.
Mina sprints forward to initiate another attack. For the sake of buying a little extra time, I quickly maneuver the nearby flames into a temporary barrier to keep her from getting close.
"If we inhale much more of this smoke we're done for." With a quick glance to my left I take note of the doorway I came in through. "That's probably the only way out."
Pivoting on my heel I bolt toward the door just as the fiery barrier begins to dissipate. Mina is quick to give chase while shouting out words to start her transformation into Sailor Venus. I don't look back while running. Even when Mina shouts the words again, I keep going so she'll chase me out of this smoke infested chamber. A few sharp, stabbing pains race up my right side, but I don't give it much thought. It's far more important to buy Mina enough time to actually survive all this. Some fresher air is a start.
"Don't you dare run from me, Rei!"
With a shuddering gasp of effort, I yank on the door handles to open the door wide. Bright light assaults my eyes as I run past the threshold and into the center of the room. The distant clicking of empty machine guns filters in and out of my awareness as I carefully glance around the room. Almost immediately my eyes fall on the corpse of a woman. There's a gun near her hand and a Naginata staff tied to her back.
A quick plan springs to mind as I march toward the body. To be perfectly honest, the tactic I intend to stoop to is deplorable, especially given Mina's horrible physical condition, but she's too belligerent and suicidal to listen to any kind of reason.
As cliché as the phrase is, it rings true. Drastic times really do call for drastic measures.
Kneeling by the body, I grab the gun and remove the casing to check how many bullets are inside the chamber. There's three left. I only need two. One bullet for each leg.
If Mina can't walk, she can't fight or do any more harm to herself.
"The only problem is that her body might go into shock immediately after...and if that happens..."
A harsh thud echoes through the room. My fingers pause over the strap holding the Naginata to the corpse below me as vicious coughs override the constant clicking noise from the empty guns above us.
Peering over my shoulder, I see Mina on her knees with one hand pressing along the edge of the door and the other maintaining its tight grip on the Millennium Sword. Her chest heaves in a shuddering motion, and with each cough, blood splatters against the stone floor.
"What do I do? What am I supposed to do?"
Mina's breaths are strained to the point where only a small amount of oxygen is actually breaking past her lips. Small droplets of blood continue to leak from the corners of her mouth and slide down her chin like drool as violent tremors shake through her body.
Seeing her in such terrible shape eliminates any thoughts of shooting her. It was stupid to even consider it as a real option when she's approaching death's door with every passing second. Adding to her injuries would only serve to expedite the process, especially with all the blood she's spitting up.
"But she's not going to stop. I have to make her stop somehow."
KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL. KILL! KILL! KILL!
Growling internally, I strap the Naginata to my back.
"Mina!"
"S-shut u-up!" she snarls, lifting her hazy crimson gaze to meet mine as I approach her slowly with the gun loosely clasped in my hands.
"You need a doctor..."
"I thought I told you to shut up!"
For a few seconds, all I can do is watch Mina struggle to move. Her rough gasps tear through the silence surrounding us, but those crimson eyes never leave mine. With firm resolve she stabs the edge of her sword into a crack in the floor, then slowly pushes herself up until she's standing upright. She smiles wide, revealing bloodstained teeth.
The manic expression she wears is a stern, bitter rebuke of my actions over the course of my time in the Tokyo Settlement, but in this moment it also serves as a grim certainty.
My soul can't come back from the sin of creating Geass.
I don't want to believe A.A. was telling the truth before. I don't want to believe that my fellow Sailor Soldier, my friend, my sister in arms...has been harboring the spirit of an unstable impostor all this time.
But Mina holds the proof in her right hand. The Millennium Sword.
And thanks to whatever link that's formed between us, the proof is locked away in her emotions too. Even if Mina succeeds in killing me here...that won't be the end of it. She won't stop with me. She won't stop with the other Sailor Scouts either. I'm certain of that.
She won't stop because the monster inside isn't going to let her.
You'll be doing her a favor, you know. She wants to die.
I hate this. I hate what I've done.
What's worse is that I know exactly what I would want Mina to do if this situation were in reverse. As Sailor Scouts, we're supposed to prioritize the safety of the earth and its inhabitants above all else. Though boy crazy and scatterbrained, Mina's dedication to this duty was always the strongest. She could be counted on to make the best decisions for the scouts and for the world at large, even if it came with a terrible cost to her own well-being. Killing her own mother, who had slaughtered countless civilians by that point, was a decision Mina knew she couldn't come back from, but she still made it to protect Joey and those her mother would have targeted after him.
Right now, drenched in the blood of others as well as herself...Mina is the mirror image of her mother. Despite the injuries she's sustained, rage will keep her moving until her body finally gives out. Those crimson eyes tell the entire story of her intent to kill indiscriminately once she's through with me, and by no means can I let that happen.
But I'm not good with decisions like this. I never have been. It's why Chad is dead. It's why Lelouch lost his memories and feels like he's living without any real purpose. It's why Mina ended up this way at all.
No matter how many times I try to act differently, I end up making the same choices again and again without end.
This time I need to act differently.
Mina's gaze drifts down to the gun in my hands.
"Y-you gonna shoot me with that?"
You'll be doing her a favor, you know. She wants to die.
Gritting my teeth, I point the gun toward her knees. "I don't want to. But if..."
The Millennium Sword glows, interrupting me. All coherency leaves Mina's eyes as she readjusts her grip on the weapon, and then she's gone in a flash of movement I don't see. The only hint I get is a gust of air and the scent of lilac. My eyes widen and instinct takes over for a split second as I twist on my heel and point the gun at Mina's face.
This is the hardest decision I've ever had to make in my life.
All I want right now is to save Mina from herself...
But Geass Alternates are a ticking time bomb of destruction. A.A. said so himself when he told me about E.E.'s plan to draw out the Millennium Sword. Her goal was to use it to destroy the power of Geass somehow, but since she was also a Geass Alternate...it meant she was unstable. Whatever her intentions were got corrupted very early on in her quest, and those twisted intentions acted as a catalyst for every vindictive scheme she's used to torment people.
Back at the cable car station, I discredited all of A.A.'s ramblings as mere lies, but with each second that passes I feel the truth of his words. Mina's emotions are a volatile, confusing mess. Hatred and madness fuel her every action now, and if she's aware of it...she doesn't care.
My heart aches knowing Mina doesn't resemble any part of the girl I once knew. She's no longer a fellow Sailor Soldier or even my friend. She's a dangerous enemy that has to be stopped. No matter how badly I want to save her, without help from the Silver Crystal, that option is swiftly disappearing. I can't keep waiting for Serena to show up and save the day either. Thanks to the sharp movement I just made, the cut along my side widened. More blood is going to come out as a result, and that will inevitably weaken me and slow me down. If that happens, Mina will easily gain the upper hand.
You let me die!
My index finger rests loosely near the trigger. Mina raises her sword in the air.
"I have to end this right now. I know that. But I..."
She wants to die.
In the aftermath of vague recollections, a proper good-night's rest was sure to allude me. Troubled as I was, I expected nightmares and images from memories I have no actual context for.
What actually happened was worse.
My dreams tonight were of scenarios happening in real-time. Something inside of me knew that as I lucidly dreamt of Rei. Dressed as Sailor Mars and accompanied by the rest of the Sailor Scouts, she ventured into the city of Narita.
The events that transpire after her entry into the city are muddled somewhat due to the nature of dreams. Things in my subconscious mix with images of Rei battling one of her teammates at a four-way intersection with a slow-building snowstorm as the backdrop. By small increments, that backdrop transforms into a beach lit by a setting sun. The instant I get used to that scene, they're fighting in an ornately decorated garden.
"WORLD SHAKING!"
"FLAME SNIPER!"
Their attacks cut through different kinds of flowers, through the butterflies fluttering about, and through the body of a woman I couldn't recognize but knew was important.
It's difficult to process my emotions as I see these things, mainly because Rei's thoughts and feelings are overriding my own. Sensations of intense emotional agony, physical discomfort, and general exhaustion filter in and out of my awareness as these images continue shifting between buried memories and a conflict I have no real knowledge of.
Time passes at an excruciatingly slow pace. I fight to wake myself up, but no matter how many times I try to will myself out of this dizzying nightmare, the desperate pull of Rei's emotions keep me in place between sleep and wakefulness. She presses on through the battle against her teammate, even though said teammate only has bitter words to offer.
Enough! You and I are not family. You betrayed me. Betrayed the scouts. Mina is in this situation because of you!
Rei accepts these words and the emotional wounds they bring.
Another comrade saves her. She's accompanied by a strange girl with an elaborate up-do and an outfit that doesn't belong in the snowy atmosphere I presume is the true setting of these scenarios.
Destroy...
KILL...
END THE PAIN RIGHT NOW!
That voice...what is that? I've felt bad vibes plenty of times before, but this is on another level. We're running out of time. Whatever this is...it's completely taking over Mina's mind.
That's right. Mina is the girl that shot her mother. She was kidnapped by A.A. as well, but...this man carrying Rei on his back...isn't he...?
More words follow...a conversation...
Hey. You okay?
My nervous system is screaming at me.
That bad, huh?
Shouldn't you be heading down to save your friend?
Yeah, but...
Don't tell me you're worried about my well-being, Sailor Mars. I'm touched. I might actually cry.
For a couple seconds, Rei stares at the blonde man with orange eyes. He was in terrible physical shape, but the compassion she feels for him is overshadowed by the need to save Mina...
Her emotions are also present within Rei. I feel them. I hear them too.
Thanks for bringing me here, A.A. I really appreciate this.
Don't mention it, but before you go...there's something important you should know...about Mina...and about E.E.
What is it?
Outside of the dream I feel my left eye start to throb again. Having broken out into a cold sweat, I regain consciousness just long enough to toss the thick blanket off of me and shift slightly in bed. Once on my back, I try blinking my eyes open. For a few seconds I'm able to see the ceiling of my room, but that image is quickly replaced by a girl sitting in a wheelchair.
Big brother! Where are you?
"Who is she?" I wonder aimlessly, unable to stop my eyelids from drooping as Rei's emotions call me back into the nightmare. "Wait! Stop it! I need to remember her!"
My inner pleading is to no avail. The throbbing in my left eye lessens, but now...
You'll be doing her a favor, you know. She wants to die.
Eventually, Rei reaches a massive hall with pillars. A distinct smell overwhelms her senses and mine.
Words from a distant memory filter in too...
We may have different mothers, but you and I are still blood!
Rei's eyes follow an inky trail to a headless corpse lying on the stone floor. Chunks of flesh are littered about in all directions. Its source is another headless body, and from what I can tell, the exact method of the kill was a shotgun at close range...
We may have different mothers, but you and I are still blood!
Who said those words to me?
Rei continues to take in the carnage, her heart racing in tandem with my own as she says a prayer for the lives lost to Mina's clear mania. She moves forward, spots another body in a new room, then crumbles to the floor as her friend's hatred disrupts all her thoughts.
She's responsible for everything! EVERYTHING! LET ME OUT! I CAN FINISH IT! I CAN FINISH THEM ALL IN A BREATH!
Scenes move even quicker from this point. I see Rei burst into a dark room lit by a roaring fire. The immortal demon, E.E., stands over Mina's weak and battered body, though she wasn't easily recognizable with that skeletal mask. At some point Rei picks up a sword. She stabs E.E. through her chest...
And then that same sword is in Mina's hand, pointed directly at the woman I've begrudgingly fallen in love with.
KILL REI HINO!
KILL SAILOR MARS!
I will. I promise.
The images are moving too fast now. I can't see anything that's happening, but I hear snippets of Rei's inner conflict.
You'll be doing her a favor, you know. She wants to die.
You let me die!
She wants to die.
You let me die!
She wants to die.
NO! You're my friend. I don't want you to die!
There's a small pause in the words, and I see the face of the blonde girl Rei wishes to save. Blood stains her clothes, the edges of her bangs, the soles of her boots, and even her teeth.
Are you going to embark on the path of blood?
Yes, if that is my destiny.
With an empty, crimson gaze, Mina speaks.
I really wish you would have been this desperate to save my mother.
Rei's heart drops to her stomach hearing those words. She knows there's no getting around her involvement in Mina's tragedy. She also knows the girl's vow to kill her came from the core of her soul.
Mina let the monster win, and she's going to ride the high of the mania until her body gives out.
On some level...I understand her feelings.
Say, how should a Britannian who detests his own country live his life?
Mina's hatred...is eerily familiar.
What's wrong? Why not shoot? Your opponent is just a schoolboy. Or have you finally realized that the only ones who should kill are those prepared to be killed?
From what I can gather from this twisted and confusing nightmare, Mina went on a crusade through E.E.'s base of operations. She indiscriminately killed and mutilated the bodies of anyone who dared to cross her path, but in the end it was Rei who claimed the true prize of this personal vendetta.
There is someone I wish to kill too.
Rei is part of the reason why I'm unable to grab hold of my life's mission. This fact remains regardless of my feelings, and forgiving the senshi of fire is an ongoing task I have every intention of seeing through despite the difficulties.
Fire isn't always destructive. In the darkness of a bitterly cold night, its heat prevents a lonely wanderer from freezing to death.
This warrior of flames has made many mistakes. She's often selfish and stubborn, and as a result, she's caused great harm to the people closest to her.
Like Mina...like me...Rei has blood on her hands...
However...
I lower the gun.
"I can't do it."
Mina lunges forward with the Millennium Sword, but I manage to spin out of her first attack while maneuvering the Naginata in front of me. Her second attack collides angrily with the metal and forces me to let go of the gun. It clatters to the ground noisily, but neither of us move to grab it. We're at a standstill, but that's partially because I'm holding back to take note of Mina's increasingly sporadic breathing.
She wants to die.
You let me die!
She wants to die.
You let me die!
Chad's voice rings out louder than A.A.'s in the end. Old pain resurfaces and I know without question that I have to do everything in my power to keep Mina alive. She desires death more than anything in the world right now, and on some level I understand it. She doesn't want to face the aftermath of this horrendous night. This whole crusade of hers was a suicide run, a way for her to claim revenge before destroying herself. Living past this night would mean facing the all-consuming sorrow that comes with taking the lives of others. Mina still has a good heart deep down. The guilt in the aftermath could easily crush her soul and I know she doesn't want to suffer anymore.
But like it or not, she needs to face the consequences of her choices just as I'm having to face the consequences of mine right now. Absolution isn't found in death. It's found in life.
Mina has to live.
And to keep her alive, I have to set my duty as a Sailor Scout aside and just focus on being a friend.
"M-Mina...we have to..." With shaking arms, I gently push back against Mina, but she responds with a harsher movement. A sharp jolt of discomfort races up both my arms.
Even in this weakened state, her strength is truly remarkable.
"I d-don't w-want to...hear it," she roars, practically spitting in my face. "Y-you want to s-save me? Why? To alleviate y-your own g-guilt, right!?"
With another vicious push, she forces me down to my knees and my right side screams viscerally at me. Despite my body's cries for rest, I continue to strain against Mina's movements as our blades inch their way down towards my neck.
"You're not here for me. You're here for yourself."
She has every reason to believe that, but there's no way to alleviate the new guilt piling on top of me. Irreparable damage has been done. I can't fix that no matter what I do. There'd be no point to coming down here if it was just for the sake of clearing my conscience because it'll never be clear again.
E.E. may have been the one pulling the strings, but I gave her the tools to do these things to Mina the instant I created Geass. I can't forgive myself for that. Lelouch begged me to stop blaming myself for everything, to stop the cycle of self-hatred, but his advice, while appreciated, isn't applicable anymore.
I'm the root of everyone's suffering. There's no denying that.
It's just like Mina said...fire is destructive. There's nothing I can do to save her. Serena could probably shed some light in this situation with the Silver Crystal, but she can't save Mina either. Even Joey, the one person who could probably break through this psycho-mindset, can't save her.
The only person who can truly give her a fighting chance to beat back the darkness is Mina herself.
And right now, pleading for her life is all I can do.
Rei's heart is in the right place.
What she desires most is for her loved ones to be safe and happy. After Chad's death...this desire became a desperate obsession fueled by grief and guilt. She took responsibility for his death in ways she shouldn't have...because in the end, there was nothing she could have done to avoid loss that day.
My memories surrounding these things are sketchy at best. Rei told me I was Zero, and even before she told me, some part of me had known this to be a fact.
I'm responsible for Chad's death and for the trauma Rei faced that day. Whether I remember it or not is a moot point.
Grief is a strange emotion. Everyone handles it differently.
Despite making efforts to forgive herself, recent decisions have made that task impossible.
Rei doesn't want forgiveness or redemption anymore.
And I'm worried she'll do something reckless as a result of those feelings.
"You're wrong, Mina."
The blonde scoffs indifferently. "No, I d-don't think I am."
"She's fading fast," I think, glaring up at her as tiny droplets of her blood splatter against my face. "It's true that I feel guilty for my part in your pain. I abandoned you, and what happened in Azabu Park is ultimately my fault. I take ownership of it, and I don't expect you to ever forgive me."
Smiling, Mina presses the blade down against the metal of my borrowed weapon. Her blade is less than an inch away from breaking my skin.
"Good to know you still have some common sense at the end..."
"I'm not finished!"
With a strained roar, I force myself up on my feet to push Mina back. Her expression contorts into one of irritation as she breaks away to put some distance between us. Rather than pursue her, I take some steps back. Focusing in on my own breathing, I blink a few times to clear my vision up a bit. Though tempted to, I don't reach up to touch the widening gash along my side. The burning ache of the wound is enough of an indicator to its severity.
Fighting for balance as dizziness begins to settle over me, I stare at Mina and watch as she fights for every single breath she takes. Another thin slither of blood leaks out from the side of her mouth during her laborious efforts to get in oxygen, and my heart breaks at the sight of it. Things should have never escalated to this point. This girl standing across from me is one of my closest friends.
Mina, Serena, Lita, Ami...
These four girls changed my life.
After Lelouch left Hikawa Temple with Suzaku and Nunnally, I spent years in isolation. It was just my grandpa and me. Every day we stuck to a monotonous routine of completing chores and giving out fortunes to those who happened to pray at the temple on any given day. We hosted festivals and I performed in different ceremonial activities, but through all of it I was lonely.
At the all-girl Catholic schools I attended growing up, everyone avoided me. They knew I was a shrine maiden. Many of them had seen me perform prayers in past ceremonies the temple hosted, and some of the girls started avoiding me for religious reasons. Others just thought I gave off a weird vibe. At one point, a few girls even tried to bully me only to receive one of my more legendary temper tantrums. That alone kept a bulk of people from bothering me.
I was okay with all that until I met Serena and became a Sailor Scout.
From then onward, I had friends.
Mina was the last to join the team, but she was far more experienced than the rest of us. She was practically a celebrity in our minds when we met, but it only took a week for us to realize she was just a normal girl like the rest of us. Over the years, the five of us built a bond of sisterhood that I was certain would last forever.
Yet here we are...a broken team.
The trust we put together shattered into a million pieces thanks to my selfishness.
Mina came back to Japan expecting support and love, but received nothing but cruelty. When we met at Tokyo Tower, I let my temper get in the way of my compassion. I let my duty as a Sailor Scout cloud my duty as a friend. And in the end, I dragged the other scouts down with me to the point where Mina didn't feel she could trust any of us.
She deserved so much better from me...from all of us.
"Mina," I began, fighting against the sob that wanted to retch itself from my chest. "I'm sorry about the things I said to you at Tokyo Tower. I'm sorry for abandoning you and for not realizing I'd put you into A.A.'s clutches until it was too late to do anything."
I pause to look into Mina's crimson eyes, hoping to find a trace of the friend I'd hurt so deeply.
"From the bottom of my heart...I'm sorry for everything."
And I meant it. I would give anything to go back and fix everything, but life simply doesn't work that way.
Too little too late.
"Apologizing doesn't fix the damage," Mina murmured.
I respond with a nod. "I know it doesn't."
Truth is...the damage caused may not ever be repaired, but I'll do whatever I can to help my friends move forward from all this. The past cannot be undone, but together...together we can make a better future.
"There's no redemption for the sins I've committed against you," I continue after a brief pause. "I'm not standing here in front of you because of guilt." Smiling softly, I meet Mina's gaze head on once more. "I'm standing here because we're family. You, me, Serena, Ami, and Lita...we're family. We always have been and we always will be no matter what."
Mina scoffs at that, her gaze on the abandoned gun on the floor.
"Don't make me laugh, Rei. It's actually kinda painful."
"We love you Mina. Please..."
She interrupts me with a shake of her head. "You can say the words all you like, but..." Pausing, Mina walks a few paces to the left until she's standing over the gun on the floor. Then, bending carefully to not aggravate her injuries, she reaches for the weapon with her left hand.
"That bond we all shared is dead, and in a few seconds..."
Mina moves the gun to her right hand then aims its barrel toward my chest.
I could have killed Mina before with that same gun, but nothing in the world could have ever convinced me pull that trigger on her. Not duty. Not guilt. Not even the fact that my former comrade was bound to hunt down Serena and the other scouts next.
In the end...she's family.
And I won't give up on her or anyone else I consider family ever again.
"Very well then."
Without hesitation, I toss the Naginata to the floor.
"I refuse to hurt you anymore," I say, internally bracing myself as I close my eyes. "And for that end..."
"No! Rei! Don't do this!"
The sudden appearance of Lelouch's voice in my head startles me, but not enough for me to stop.
"I'll gladly give up my life. Do what you must, Mina."
Silence follows my words, and it is by far the longest moment of silence I've ever had to wait through. Probably because I am literally standing here waiting for the telltale sound of gunfire or the sharp impact of bullets going through my already weak body.
Instead my mind registers seemingly unimportant things, like the sweat sliding down over my cheek, the sting of my own injuries, and eventually the volume of the monotonous clicking of the empty machine guns. My breathing picks up too, but I fight within myself to keep calm as I wait for something...anything...to happen.
I should have appreciated the silence more.
KILL HER.
A faint rattling sound reaches my ears. "What is that?"
KILL HER! KILL REI NOW!
"That voice in Mina's head...it sounds different now."
KILL! KILL! KILL!
Tiny mumbles of sound reach me as the rattling increases in speed.
KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!
Mina's despair screams out at me in a wave of pure chaos. A part of me wants to open my eyes, but I'm honestly scared of what I'll see when I do.
KILL!
"Shut up..."
The muttered plea makes my breath halt in my throat. Mina's voice is soft, but there's a desperate, eerie edge to the sound.
KILL! KILL!
"Shut...up..."
KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!
Unsure of what to do, I slowly open my eyes. The first thing I notice is how violently the gun is shaking in Mina's hands, but my attention quickly shifts to her eyes...
"They're blue again!"
Mina's shallow breaths turn erratic, and the violent tremor of her hands is so bad I'm halfway convinced her body has gone into shock. If that's the case, I need to stop standing here like an idiot and actually do something.
"Stop it...no more..."
"Mina?"
Her eyes flicker between blue and red for a moment, and then her head dips down toward the floor. I try to look Mina in the eye again, but her bangs block my view.
"Get...out...of my head."
Hope fills me as I listen to the words.
"Mina..." I start to move toward her. "Fight it!"
KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL! KILL!
Gritting my teeth, I walk a little faster, but my movements come to a screeching halt when Mina's hands steady just enough for her to point the barrel of the gun at my chest again.
KILL SAILOR MARS!
A sudden smile lifts the corners of Mina's lips.
And her next movement makes my blood run cold.
"W-What are you doing!?"
With a slow, methodical movement, she presses the barrel of the gun against the side of her head.
HURRY UP AND KILL HER!
Panic dismantled any other emotion I could have felt in that moment, especially when Lelouch's voice rang out to me at the exact same time.
I don't have a clue what he said to me, but hearing his voice was enough to slice through the shock and inspire a last second plan.
DO IT!
Locking my gaze on Mina's frantic, unseeing stare, I immediately activate the Geass I'd seen Lelouch use so many times before. Her finger was moving to make that fatal tug at the trigger when I gave the order.
"SHOOT ME UNTIL THE BULLETS RUN OUT! DO IT RIGHT NOW!"
A guttural cry tore itself from Mina's throat as the Geass took hold of her. Then, in a blur of movement I barely see, Mina turns the gun on me once more.
"REI!"
Tears fill the corners of my eyes upon hearing the horror in Lelouch's voice.
"I'm sorry, Lelouch. I'm so sorry..."
"BOOM!"
If I had waited any longer to give an order...Mina would be dead right now.
There was no time. I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
It's only after the first bullet slams into my chest, knocking nearly all the oxygen out of my system right there, that I realize the stupidity of the order. Not because of the pain that took over my senses but because of the vision I saw when it hit me.
Serena is just outside the door, and in less than a minute...
"BOOM!"
I cry out and stumble backward when the second bullet pierces through my left shoulder.
"I messed up again," I thought, pure terror drawing more tears from my eyes.
"BOOM!"
The third and final bullet goes through the right shoulder. Whatever balance I'd maintained finally gave way as a low, raspy shriek broke past my lips. The world spun. My head bounced up from the floor in a sharp, agonizing slap that almost knocked me unconscious from the sheer force of the landing. What kept me from passing out immediately was the sensation of blood pooling out from my body.
With weak movements, I try grasping at my left shoulder to stop the bleeding there, but quickly abandon the task when my chest protests angrily. I cough once and immediately feel liquid beginning to build up in my throat. My skull must have cracked open too because I can feel wetness along the back of my head.
However, while aware of my new injuries and the different levels of discomfort they brought (to put it lightly), for the next thirty seconds, my thoughts are on the vision of Serena seeing me here on the floor. I hear her cries and her sudden bouts of unhinged laughter.
I stare up at the ceiling, wishing I would have thought to make Mina shoot at that instead.
If I'd had one second more to think, that's the order I would have given.
But I didn't have that additional second.
"Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing," I muse inwardly, remembering the scripture from a Bible class I haven't thought about in years. "Thanks to the words I spoke, Mina is alive...but in using Geass without thinking, I've set her up for more suffering unless I can..."
A harsh cough interrupts my thought process. Blood comes up...
I don't know if I'll have time to explain what happened to Serena before I...
"Can't...t-think like that. Hang on, Rei. Just hang on long enough to tell Serena the truth so she doesn't..."
The door creaks open just as another harsh coughing fit starts. More blood comes up this time.
"Somehow I have to talk past it..." Black spots cloud my vision as Serena's voice registers in my ears. She races to my side, screaming words that don't really register. In vain I attempt to talk, but the meatball head starts giggling manically almost immediately from my standpoint, and with blood continuously rising in the back of my throat, what I manage to get out is a gurgled mess she wouldn't have been able to understand anyway.
On top of that, I can't make out what she's mumbling anymore. My senses have dulled to the point where just seeing her is becoming a struggle. On my next attempt to explain what happened, Kara cuts in, drowning me out. She places her hands on Serena's shoulders and says something - not that I hear it, and out of the corner of my eye I see Joey standing off to the side, staring at Mina with a horror-stricken expression. He says something, but the only reason I know that is because his lips moved. I can't even hear Serena's giggling anymore.
"I'm going to die before I can even attempt to fix this."
Grim reality washes over me. I'm still coughing some but I know oxygen isn't getting into my lungs. I have seconds left...not nearly enough time to repent of all the sins I've collected in the last few months.
Diverting my attention to Mina, I see an expression of clear confusion on her face because she has no idea what could have happened. Our gazes meet for a split second and that second, I watch her expression transform into one of horror induced shock. In seeing that look, I know she's figured it out. Whether it was through her own Geass or not, I don't know.
I smile for her, hoping that would suffice as far as apologies went. There's...too much blood in my throat now. Can't...breathe...
At least this way...I can't hurt anyone...anymore.
Knowing that much...brings me...peace...
...
...
...and yet...
...
...
...Here we go again...
Starting from the beginning like a song on loop...
That night should have been the end for me.
I thought it was.
What I wouldn't know until much later is that none of this ends until Geass is removed from this world.
A/N: And that's the end of this chapter. For the next chapter...expect a time skip. Things are about to wrap up pretty fast and you guys aren't ready. Please feel free to leave your current thoughts in a review. Thank you all for reading! God bless you!
Additional Note: Also, if you guys ever get antsy waiting for Fanfiction updates, I have a YouTube channel named Lillymu961 where I post lots of different things. Mainly I would consider it a K-Pop channel, but I also do book reviews, music reviews, and stuff with anime from time to time. If you guys ever want to check any of that out, feel free to stop by. Many thanks in advance if you guys choose to visit me there.