Russian Roulette

Authors note:
Its been awhile, huh? I apologize for the long gap between my stories… lately I've had so much to do than write, and most everything I have written sucks. But hopefully that shall change! This story is written in Reno's POV, and maybe another chapter shall be written later :3

I smiled. It was a bleak, desolate, unemotional smile, the kind that never reach your eyes. I did it more to unnerve the guy sitting across from me at the small card table. By the way he glared daggers at me, I think it might have worked a little. I reached out and took the revolver from the center of the table and looked down at it. I flip the cylinder out, and slide a lone bullet into one of the six chambers. I set it spinning and, not looking at it, with a flick of the wrist set the cylinder back into the gun, ready to fire. I pulled it up, set the barrel to my temple, pulled back the hammer. Then I pulled the trigger.

Time was endless, and I remembered.

The night was cold, the biting wind made it seem colder than it actually was. I shivered then turned at the sound of someone came up from behind me. I knew it was him, he followed me outside to my car.

With the revolver we were using, if you fired first you hade a one in six chance of losing, and therefore putting a bullet through your temple. After that it was a one in four chance, then a one in two chance. If you make it that far, the other guy is guaranteed to lose. It's simple statistics.

This time, I was lucky. The hammer hit nothing, resulting in a dull click. I swore my heart skipped a beat when that click resounded in my ears, steeled to feel the bite of the bullet drilling into my head. I grinned all the harder as I set the revolver onto the table and slid it to the other guy. He took a finally drag on his cigarette before flicking it with one hand off into the shadows. He didn't hesitate to grab the gun, putting it to his right temple and setting it, then pulling the trigger. He tried to act like he'd done it before, like he was used to it, but his hand shook. It nearly made me laugh at him.

With another hollow click he's pulled the trigger and was rewarded with an empty chamber. He tossed the revolver back to the table, his win making him more confident. He even leaned back in his fold-out chair, a smug look plastered to his face. But he was still shaking.

I again picked up that gun, closing my eyes to what was to come. I pulled the hammer back, nad once again pulled that trigger with the cold muzzle pressed to my right temple. One in four, now or never.

He didn't speak, didn't have to really. I didn't give him much of the chance. I wrapped my arms around him, holding onto him as if for dear life. He was much taller than me, my head just barely came up to his shoulder, and holding onto him like this always made me feel so small in comparison.

Another dull, hollow click told me yet again, I was lucky. I made no outward sign of my little victory, and tossed the gun straight as the guy. He had turned a sickly pale color, and his shaking was worse now. But he didn't hesitate to once again put that device to his head and pull that trigger. He too, was again lucky. Two chances left, who did Lady Luck favor more?

I rested my head on his chest, felt his rhythmic breathing and beat of his heart. It was calming. He'd wrapped his longer arms around me, holding me close to shield me from the wind and to keep me warm. He was my oasis in the arid desert that was my soul, solid ground in the midst of a flood of emotions. I had so much to tell him, but my voice could not form the words for them. So I held on, not wanting to let go. Here was warmth, here was safety. He was my everything. I was not about to give him up for anything.

I never noticed picking up the revolver again. Never noticed putting it back to my temple, cocking it and pulling the trigger again. Part of me really didn't care what was happening, what was going to happen. But, Ahh, Lady Luck is on my side. The chamber was empty, and the man's fate sealed. He stared for a long time at that gun, as if mentally cursing it for being there, for being his judge. He looked as if ready to deny his fate and leave, or worse yet pick that gun up and put it to my head and fire like he thought it should had. But he knew the rules to this place. Tears poured down his face as he picked it up for the last time, cocked it for the last time, and pulled that trigger for the last time.

Hammer struck pin in a violent burst of ignited gunpowder, sending the bullet at break-neck speed down the chamber and into his skull and out the other end. Blood and brains littered the ground and he went limp, the gun slipping from limp fingers to clatter to the ground. I absently wiped a splatter of blood from my cheek with a handkerchief from a coat pocket. I stood and stretched, letting knots in my shoulders and legs loosen. Outside it was bright, around midday. I let the heavy door close behind me, someone would be around later to dispose of the body cooling in the dark room.

When I had wandered to that place in the early hours of the morning, I had no idea what had brought me to such a place to bargain my life in a dance with death. But now, having had my life flash before my eyes, my most prized memories resurface, I knew. The sky was a brigher blue than it had been, the sun more brilliant. The trees were a vibrant mix of greens, yellows, oranges, and reds with the cooling season. Everything seemed more alive, more vivid. When I got back to the office Rude was waiting for me and he gave me one of those secret smiles of his. A true smile lit my face at that.

Having been shown how precious life is, it made living it all the more bright and beautiful.

This was a resort of a late night/early morning ranting of mine. I cross-posted the earlier version on my DeviantART account some time ago. I admit, it came out batter than I thought it would! More RenoxRude stuff to come, hopefully. It's just the cutest couple has watched way too much Advent Children Thank you to all who review this!

Also... thankyou to all who have reviewed my other stories! I luv you all