Author's Note: Hello everyone! Mou daijoubu! Nazette? Watashi ga kita! (Yes, I'm a dork, it should've been obvious by now haha). Anyway! Thank you everyone for the lovely views, reviews, favorites, and follows! I still can't believe this story is at 2.5k views! It's all thanks to you and I could not begin to express how incredibly happy and thankful I am (as well as in shock that I even got to 2.5k for this story on ffnet haha)!

Anyone see playthroughs/walkthroughs of the new RE8 DLC Shadows of Rose =D no spoilers...I just gotta say that I fucking called it so hard! So much so that I don't even have to change the plot for my DLC chapter...that's how accurately I predicted the plot of the DLC! I have to make some minor changes and what not to the storyline and switch around a few things/events, but I ONE HUNDRED PRECENT CALLED IT! lmfao

Disclaimer: I do not own the Resident Evil Franchise, all rights belong to Capcom! Any grammatical errors or inconsistencies that you may find I do hope that you can forgive me and that my chapter is still readable. Happy reading everyone!

I could feel it, the music, the notes flowing out from the tips of my fingers as they pressed hard upon the keys of the piano. I allowed the pent-up frustration, as well as the agony I've buried deep down, to come to life and manifest itself in the piece I created. All those unspoken feelings of regret and remorse, my fury winding and warping the piece, but at the same time, it had complimented the notes that were being sung from the instrument.

I was never the type to throw things in anger, that was more Karl's way of venting his frustration while mine was always expressed through music… this piece fit perfectly as my fingers moved in a flurry across the white and black keys. I was free to be loud, free to let it all out, and free to get lost in the strange melody I created. My blood boiled, my heart beating fast against my chest at the adrenaline that shot through me the faster my hands went when the piece began to pick up the tempo, and when the music would slow its pace, the following notes would never disappoint. A sense of longing, a need for what was missing, music could speak volumes when words would fail us. I wanted to scream, but no sound would come out. My music was an extension of myself…an exact replication of what I was feeling, yet it could go so much further than what I could say.

Yet, the moment my fingers had slipped and hit a sour note, one single mistake out of a close-to-perfection piece, it had triggered my burning frustration as I slammed my hands on the white keys on my old grand piano producing multiple sounds that were fighting against each other and grated on my ears. The sudden force I had used caused the lid of the piano to slam shut and one of the legs on my piano to snap in half causing me to quickly back away before the piano could collapse and crush my feet.

I just wanted to relax and let off some steam, was that too much to ask? Today was spent recalling memories of a time long past. A time that I could never go back to, reliving precious memories when things were…'normal'. And then remembering that our 'normal' wasn't perfect either with all that I had overlooked…I just wanted a break.

'What once brought me joy…I destroyed…' I thought as I looked down at my broken piano, my teeth grinding in irritation as I let out an exasperated sigh. 'I can't concentrate like this…I'll fix it later…' I moved away from my piano and made my way to my living room where I saw my stereo system that sat shut off by my bookcase.

"Music…I need music." I shuffled like a zombie closer to my stereo, dragging my feet as my body felt completely deprived of energy. I placed my hand on the switch that would turn the stereo on. "I need noise…if I'm left in silence I will continue to think of those that I've lost because of that…woman."

I reached for the button that turned on my stereo, at first hearing only white static noise before hearing notes come through when I had swept through the stations that were still working and could reach our small little village that was in the middle of nowhere.

~There were nights when the wind was so cold
That my body froze in bed if I just listened to it
Right outside the window

There were days when the sun was so cruel
That all the tears turned to dust
And I just knew my eyes were drying up forever (forever)~

'No…' I thought as I immediately pressed the button to cycle to another station.

~One of us is crying
One of us is lying
In her lonely bed
Staring at the ceiling
Wishing she was somewhere else instead

One of us is lonely
One of us is only
Waiting for a call
Sorry for himself, feeling stupid, feeling small
Wishing he had never left at all~

'Abba…I remember when they debuted.' I thought fondly before growing irritated at the lyrics that were being sung back at me. 'Shame…I love their music."

~Love is all that I can give to you
Love is more than just a game for two
Two in love can make it
Take my heart and please don't break it
Love was made for me and you~

*Click*

~I was in your arms
Thinking I belonged there
I figured it made sense
Building me a fence
Building me a home
Thinking I'd be strong there
But I was a fool
Playing by the rules~

*Click*

~Where are those happy days?
They seem so hard to find
I try to reach for you
But you have closed your mind
Whatever happened to our love?
I wish I understood
It used to be so nice
It used to be so good~

"Can we stop with the Abba music…" I grumbled at the lyrics that seemed to reflect my current state, almost mocking me as I cycled through more of the working stations in hopes to find something soothing to listen to. *Click*

~I know I'm just a fool who's willing
To sit around and wait for you
But baby can't you see
There's nothing else for me to do?
I'm hopelessly devoted to you~

"Sal…" I thought sadly as my finger hesitated on the button to change the station, remembering when the energetic man was so excited to see this movie that he had planned food (cheese) and refreshments to celebrate such an occasion…I think I even dragged Karl to watch it with us.

~I'm coming to terms with a broken heart
I guess that sometimes good things fall apart~

'No…' *Click*

~You'll never know how many dreams I dreamed about you
Or just how empty they all seemed without you~

'No…!' *CLICK*

~You know I can't smile without you
Can't smile with…~

'Stop…' *CLICK!*

~If you leave me now…~

*CLICK!*

~Why do you build me up? (Build me up)
Buttercup baby, just to let me down (let me down)...~

In another fit of rage, I placed my hand on the table that the stereo sat upon, swept my arm across, and shoved the device to the ground. The mechanical device shattered on impact and I watched as the metal pieces skidded across my wooden floor.

"Nice going, Selena." I huffed and puffed, breathing heavily at the sudden burst of energy before straightening back up, readjusting my clothing, and smoothing out strands of my hair that flew out of my braid due to my outburst. "How fucking cliche could this day get…"

"Did…did I come at a bad time?"

I turned toward the new voice to see Ethan, blood-soaked from head to toe and paler than normal looking worse for wear.

"Ethan." I greeted, glancing toward the bits and pieces of what used to be my stereo strewn across the ground before bashfully smiling back at the dark blonde man. "No, I just needed to vent my stress." I smiled and motioned for Ethan to take a seat on my couch, not at all bothered at this point that Ethan would get my furniture dirty. "You look like shit."

"Can I be honest?" Ethan said as he made his way toward the offered seat, easing down into the cushion with a groan as he leaned forward onto his knees, his head buried in his hands. "You look like shit, too."

"Losing my siblings in a blink of an eye would do that to you…" I bluntly stated which caused Ethan to fidget in his seat.

"Yeah…um…sorry about that again." Ethan mumbled as I let out a sigh, shuffling closer to where Ethan sat and ungracefully flopping down beside the man.

"Nothing to be sorry about, I practically asked you to do it in exchange for using my home as your resting place." I half-heartedly smiled. "But…I can't argue with you there. I look and feel like shit."

The both of us let out a sigh in unison, myself being mentally exhausted while Ethan I'm sure from physical exhaustion. "So…how'd the stronghold go?"

"Awful." Ethan bluntly grumbled. "That place was crawling with more of those…monsters. It was never, fucking, ending!"

I didn't know what else to do but simply reached out and sympathetically patted the man on the back.

"But…" From Ethan's jacket, I saw him produce four, identical, yellow flasks as he gingerly held them in his arms. "it wasn't a fruitless endeavor. I got my daughter back."

"Now, all that's left is to fix your daughter and take care of Mother Miranda…" I said before I saw Ethan shake his head.

"There's still more that I need to do," Ethan said as I saw him glance at me from the corner of his eyes. "I spoke to Heisenberg again…"

"Did you meet with him face to face this time?" I asked before Ethan shook his head, now I was worried and anxious about what the two had spoken about this time. "How'd you guys speak? What did he say this time…"

"He spoke through the television again," Ethan said. "I think he's been watching me this whole time. Ever since I've stepped foot in this village"

Just as Ethan ceased seeing such visions of the Lords surrounding his daughter and reaching out for her, the most terrifying sight he could imagine for a baby, the television that was displayed on the table spluttered to life with a familiar symbol appearing on the screen as a mildly impressed voice began to come through the screen. "I see that you're still on speaking terms with Sinclair."

"And what if I am?" Ethan's automatic response was to be defensive as well as a bit challenging toward the familiar condescending voice.

"I warned you, Ethan, you may as well kiss your daughter goodbye at this point if you're going to continue aligning yourself with the likes of that woman." Karl's voice sighed. "I'm being kind here, Ethan, and I don't do that very often."

"How do you even know that I'm still talking to Selena?" Ethan inquired which caused the man on the other end to laugh at such a silly question.

"There's nothing in this village that happens that I don't know about, Ethan." Karl responded. "I hear and see every single thing no matter how small it may be. Which is how I know you paid that conniving woman a visit just before you came to this stronghold."

"You're wrong about Selena being 'conniving'." Ethan didn't know why, but he felt a strong need to defend the woman who had no voice to defend herself against Karl's accusations.

"Don't tell me what's wrong and right when it comes to Sinclair!" Karl grew angry, his emotions and composure slipping from what Ethan could hear. "You've only known her for what, less than two days? I've known her my whole damn life."

"And when you were on speaking terms, things were perfect, weren't they?" Ethan growled. "If you just swallow your fucking pride and talk to her-"

"Don't speak to me as if you know everything about us!" Karl growled as Ethan heard a loud crash from the other end. "You don't know anything."

"I know enough." Ethan continued to argue back.

"You're very loyal, very quickly, Ethan. An endearing quality some may say…yet in this circumstance, it's just annoying the hell out of me." Karl sarcastically laughed. "You think you know everything after speaking to Sinclair, don't you Ethan."

"Tell me something. Are you angry because I'm still talking to Selena? Or is it BECAUSE I'm talking to Selena that you're angry." Ethan growled. "If you keep holding on to your pride, you'll miss out on the moments that could've been."

"Secretly a therapist are you?" Karl sounded unbothered, as usual…bored of the conversation, but with all that Ethan now knew of the history between the man and the woman that had been incredibly helpful to his cause, Ethan knew that what he was saying struck a chord with the metal man because deep down Ethan spoke the truth. And Karl would never admit that it was bothering him.

"No…" Ethan shook his head. "but I've let fights come between me and Mia before…now I can never make up for the lost time."

Ethan heard another long and heavy sigh come from the television. "Trust me, Ethan. Being involved with Sinclair leads only to…" The last part of Karl's sentence tapered off, and Ethan could only speculate what the man wanted to say by the tone of his voice and where it was going. 'Being involved with Selena would only lead to heartbreak.'

"I know who I can trust and who I can't." Ethan stood firm, his body coiling at the distant howl he heard back the way he had come from. Ethan held up his gun and pointed it behind him while still addressing the man through the television. "And right now, you're giving me no reason to trust you after sending me into this death trap."

"Enough, I'm threw talking about what's already been done." Karl wanted to hear none of it, he was done with this conversation with Ethan that went on longer than he liked. "But, I've gotta say, getting this far? You truly are the real deal. To that, I say, well done."

"Thanks for the compliment, how 'bout you say that to me face to face." Ethan huffed, the previous topic having heightened the tension on both sides. "Quit hiding, asshole. I'm not letting you get out of this."

There was a double meaning behind what Ethan had said, while Karl assumed that it was a threat to his life Ethan also meant that he wasn't going to let him get out of hearing what he had to say about Selena. Sure, Ethan had no reason to try and fix this relationship, but he did feel a need to at least try and repay a debt he felt toward Selena…and Ethan knew that she missed this insufferable man that was talking to him.

Karl let out a dry laugh at Ethan's 'threat'. "Cool your jets. Just a little bit more and you're all wrapped up. I'll lend you a hand so in exchange…" The way Karl cut off his sentence was calculated, he wanted Ethan to be curious and inquire more about his proposition. Before Ethan could think about his response, he had walked into Karl's trap and spoke without thinking. Ethan had taken Karl's bait that he had dangled in front of the man. "In exchange what?"

"First of all, come to me." Karl paused, deliberately drawing out his response just to get his point across and make sure that Ethan knew exactly what he had to do just to get to him. "Put all the flasks in the Altar, and I'm sure you'll figure the rest out. See you, Ethan."

Karl didn't even wait for Ethan to respond as the television screen turned into nothing but static as all communications ceased between the two men.

"Goddammit."

"I'm flattered that you spoke up in my defense." I smiled in exhaustion. "You better be careful though Ethan, deliberately getting under a man as powerful as Karl could end up being your downfall. Karl's a smart man, you may think that you have the upper hand, when in reality Karl has you exactly where he wants you to be. While you're a step ahead, he's always two steps further."

"He's still bothered by it." Ethan said. "I could hear it in his voice, what little he gave away, anyway."

"In my shoes, Ethan, false hope is the worst thing you can give me." I muttered under my breath. "...I miss him. Thinking that he missed me after all these years, going there and finding out it's not true…I think it would break me all over again."

"Why didn't you go back?" Ethan asked. "Once the heated emotions simmered down, you could've gone back and spoken to him."

"I've learned that Karl can hold his wrath, as well as his grudges, for a very long time. He would've never allowed me near him long enough for me to explain myself." I admitted as I turned to look up at my ceiling.

"Were you afraid that he may hurt you again?" Ethan asked, causing me to simply shake my head with the barest of movement. "Then…what was stopping you from just barging your way into his factory?"

"Karl would never hurt me…to this day I'd trust him with my life." It felt like a coil was winding its way around my heart and squeezing as hard as it could. "When he lashed out, sure it hurt, but I knew he regretted it the moment he stared back at me in shock when he had let me go. And the reason I ran? Not because I feared him, I just did what he wanted me to do…I had hoped it would calm his rage if I simply listened to his request. If I went back I knew I would be sent away and with each attempt, his anger would grow and he would become irritated with me." I could feel the corner of my eyes heat up, the prickling sensation of tears threatening to fall, but I had to force myself to hold it all back. "...I never went back because I feared him." I looked at Ethan from the corner of my eyes. "I never went back…because I didn't want Karl to grow to resent me. I didn't want there to be zero chances of us becoming friends again."

"So you gave him space." Ethan asked and I nodded once more.

"I thought…space was for the best." I sighed before dramatically motioning around us. "But turns out, it wasn't. In a blink of an eye, years had gone by and we only spoke to each other as Lords in passing…nothing was ever the same again after that day."

Ethan was silent for a good few seconds before I saw such sad, pitiful, desperate, dark blue eyes turn to look at me for advice. "I don't know what to do, Selena."

"What do you mean?" I was taken aback by the sudden flood of emotions in one glance.

"How…how would you feel if I was forced to kill Heisenberg." Ethan blurted out before quickly following up with what else was on his mind. "I don't know what that man had in mind when he said 'I'll lend you a hand in exchange…' but it doesn't sound like I'd like what he proposes. If it comes down to it…if he fights me like your other siblings, Selena…I would have to choose my daughter. There's so much to think about and so little time to-"

"What's there to think about?" I cut Ethan off mid-panic. "You should choose what's best for your daughter…choose the best chance of survival for the both of you."

"Yes, but…I know now that this would hurt you more than the death of your siblings." Ethan reasoned. "You love this man."

"Yes, it will hurt the most." I agreed. "But as I've said…you need to do what's best for you and your daughter. And if Karl is standing in your way…then I understand that you have no other choice."

"If he proposes to work together to defeat Mother Miranda. Is…is there a way to work together with him? A chance that it could work?" Ethan looked at me for answers. "Can I trust Karl not to hurt my daughter so that we can both get what we want?"

"Forget my feelings, Ethan, you came here for help and with a purpose." I smiled in assurance, my attempt and remaining strong in the presence of a guest. "It would be unfair for me to ask you to take what I want into consideration as well as make sure the safety of your family is secured." I sighed. "If it was me, I'd put my trust in Karl, the man has been plotting Miranda's downfall for years. He, as well as myself, have wanted this freedom for ages. But I can't say if what he has in mind or what he wants from you that he'd offer his assistance willingly would sit well with you or not." I reached out and grabbed Ethan's hand, squeezing it. "All I can say is to keep yours and your daughter's best interest in mind when considering what Karl offers you. If you don't like it, and it comes to either you or him, I understand what must be done."

Ethan returned the squeeze and gave me a small smile. "If I succeed in defeating Mother Miranda, if I have to fight Heisenberg and…kill him, what will happen to you?"

"If you succeed in destroying Mother Miranda for good…" I hummed in thought, though I already knew what my future held. I knew as soon as Ethan began killing my siblings, as well as what a certain few outsiders informed me of what was bound to happen in the coming days, what would become of me and my village. It was something that Ethan didn't know about, but I hoped that I could get him out of here before such events could occur. "I will simply stay here in my little bubble, withering away. While everyone else ages, all things must go, and mutants like me should remain forgotten."

The reality of the situation sunk in, for both of us, as was painstakingly obvious by the silence that followed.

Ethan could only mutter one thing: "...I'm sorry…you've done so much for me…and all I did to repay you was kill the only family you knew."

"There is no need to apologize to me Ethan, I asked you to do it for me. You're helping me by killing the one woman who…caused me so much misery even when she tried to disguise it as a blessing." I smiled at the man who looked conflicted going after the last person that stood in his way from getting to Mother Miranda. "My siblings were blinded by their loyalty to Miranda, if they had known her true thoughts…it would've broken them and I'm happy that they will never get the chance to hear it from that woman's mouth. You have set them free and that is the best payment I can ask for from you."

Ethan's whole body relaxed as a breath escaped him, not quite of relief, but it seemed the guilt he was feeling was slightly lifted off his shoulders just a bit at my response. The same tired eyes closed before opening up with newfound determination to get back on track as he hauled himself back to his feet.

"I should go. I'm so close to getting my daughter back." Ethan lifted his hand in front of him, closing it into a fist before taking a few steps back toward my front door before faltering as he turned his body to look back at me. "This may be the last time I come here…once I finish my business with Heisenberg I'm going straight for Mother Miranda to save my daughter."

"Then, if this is the last time you will visit." I got up to my feet, remembering my manners as I saw the man off. "then this is goodbye, Mister Winters, though I should be upset at you…I can honestly say that it has truly been nice to meet and get to know you. I hope that myself and my home have provided you with the help and comfort that you needed to continue carrying on in this nightmare of a village." Ethan seemed touched by my farewell as he turned to leave. When I couldn't see him anymore and heard my door close, I couldn't help but whisper under my breath. "I truly hope that you can reunite with your daughter, Ethan…"

The songs features in this chapter are as follows:

-It's All Coming Back to Me Now by Celine Dion
-One of Us by Abba (or Amanda Seyfried & Dominic Cooper)
-L-O-V-E by Nat King Cole
-The Winner Takes It All by Abba (or Meryl Streep)
-S.O.S by Abba (or Pierce Brosnan & Meryl Streep)
-Hopelessly Devoted To You by Olivia Newton-John
-Good Things Fall Apart by ILLENIUM
-Can't Smile Without You by Barry Manilow
-It's Been A Long, Long Time by Kitty Kallen
-If You Leave Me Now by Chicago
-Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations

This chapter is on the short side compared to the rest, and not quite my proudest? I think it seemed to be missing some substance and I rushed through it in my opinion (it felt like a filer but more bland haha). I think I also rushed because I was excited for the next chapters that I just wanted to get to the juicy parts haha but I knew it had to be done to show the haywire of uncontrollable emotions that are going haywire, and I was really tempted to just smush it with the next chapter (though I refrained cause it wouldn't have made sense). I do still love this chapter cause it's about my baby Selena, but there's just something I'm missing that I think should be there, it's just I (as a writer) for some reason couldn't bring it out to bring it to the next level (sorry I'm rambling haha)

Anyway! if you are enjoying my story and looking forward to the next one, then leave a nice little review, favorite, and follow to let me know =D as I keep saying though it is not mandatory. Just reading and giving my story a chance is greatly appreciated and makes me incredibly happy. Also if you think anyone else may like my story then sharing is caring too ^^. Thank you everyone for reading! Sending lots of love, positive vibes and big hugs your way! See you in the next chapter!
-SO