Justice was the only good in the world. Justice will take those who are wrong, and give them a swift death, stopping them from tainting the world with sin.

At least, this is what she thought, what it was she wanted to believe. Snow White was far from doubtful, but even in her heart, she knew there was a small hole, a small voice somewhere within. One that would ask her how long it would take before she would break from the weight of the souls she had claimed

She would always deny the question, telling herself that she was in the right, that the weight she had no choice but to carry was a small price to pay in order to give her authors back their lives. It was a duty, a service even, where she'd give it her all and never once doubt the justice in her heart.

Justice was etched into her soul, but that girl, the one with an angelic smile, beautiful hair, and a lovely silky red hood seemed to lack not only justice and admiration for life, but had no moral compass to speak guiding her.

It was a shock to Snow White, a shock greater than when she took that poisoned apple between her lips only to wake up in a glass coffin. This girl, this demon, was laughing, not even batting an eye as she slaughtered the nightmares before her. Snow White stood there, mouth agape, dumbfounded at what she was witnessing

Little Red Riding Hood was swinging a hammer, one as large as her, towards each and every monster in her path. Surrounded by almost a dozen medium-sized beasts she took them all out one by one, crushing their skulls and making them fly towards the trees. What shocked the princess most of all, however, was the smile the young girl had as she snuffed out the candle of life from the eyes of every monster. Her sweet laughter was heard as an echo around the stupefied princess who held her scythe over her shoulder, ready to put down the girl if need be

"Give me more!" Akazukin cried out, finishing off the final nightmare, crushing its head beneath her heel. As she began to look around in search of another target, her eyes met with Snow White's, and her grin grew larger still

Snow White lifted up her scythe reflexively, earning another growth in Akazukin's smile

"Will you play with me?" Akazukin asked, lifting her own weapon, ready to strike

"I will not," Snow White said after some thought, bringing down to a neutral standing position behind her, "I will not entertain your questionable taste"

Akazukin's smile disappeared, leaving behind a rather cute frown upon her face, as she stomped her foot on the ground angrily, "But I want to have fun!" she exclaimed, looking back up at the white-haired princess.

"Is it fun?" the princess asked, knowing full well the answer she'd receive

"Of course it is!"

"Why do you do it?" Snow White added, hoping to gather insight on the mind of someone as brutal as the young girl

"Because it's so much fun!" Akazukin replied, her eyes brightly lit as she let her weapon fall on the ground with a heavy thud, "Don't you agree?"

Snow White closed her eyes and thought for a moment. She looked back at all the times she had killed a nightmare. She herself had not felt a thing, but as the nights went on, as the days passed by, killing and killing, and killing some more, she had begun to sense something within her. Something she kept pushing away. It was something she felt… would only hinder her mission

"It's not," she replied, loosening the grip on her scythe, "and I don't wish to fight you"

"You don't want to play?"

"I have already said no"

"..."

The two stared in silence, locking eyes on multiple occasions, not knowing who would make the first move, or say the first words. Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Snow White opened her mouth to speak. To speak words formed of the justice within her heart.

"I wish to correct your path," She said carefully, extending a hand out to the lost girl, "I want you to live a life void of sinful, evil, Brutality"

Akazukin looked disgusted, as though she had been defiled by the very words the princess spoke to her, her eyes narrowing, her lips twitching, "Do you want to take away my fun?"

"It shouldn't be fun," Snow White tried to explain, cut off before she could say anything more

"Don't take away my toys!" Akazukin exploded, yelling from the top of her lungs, "I just want to play! I'm lonely without my toys! We can open them up together, think of the fun we could have had having been swallowed up, ripping the nightmares stomach up from the inside, and bathing in their warm, soothing entrails! We could stuff the body with rocks and watch it sink in the river, making a beautiful, clear red trail as it grows larger in size! Think of-"

Akazukin went on and on, speaking of the fun she could have with Snow White. Of how the two could be smiling happily day and night taking the lives of nightmares, toying with them before ripping the life from out of them in numerous, disgusting and gruesome ways. It was sickening to poor Snow White, listening to the little angel speak with the devils tongue

"I… you're too far gone," she said at last, at a loss for what to do with such a brutal girl, unable to comprehend the weight one's life was meant to have. It was as though this girl, this child, simply disregarded the cost that came with taking a life, as though she saw them as anything but living things. The world of the Library was her plaything, and she had the power to keep it that way for as long as she so desired

Akazukin continued to speak until she grew bored of doing so. Snow White's expression remained the same, one of shock and disbelief. To the young girl, the look was too bland. She wanted to see tears and anguish. It was getting to be boring, standing around, having such an irrelevant chat with the princess standing before her, unable to comprehend what she was trying to say

It was fun to slit that wolf's stomach. She enjoyed shooting the huntsman. What was wrong with lighting a fire to her grandmother's house, curing her illness with the medicine called death. Death was the answer to happiness. It brought Akazukin joy, it would relieve others of their pain and was the way to bring her author back to life.

"Ah… you're no fun at all!" Akazukin mumbled out, pouting, "I don't like old ladies other than my grandma, but she's dead, so I don't like you at all!"

"Old?" Snow White asked, shocked at the fact such the demon before her could utter such a childish insult, "I might have been asleep for 300 years, but I'm still only-"

"See?" Akazukin laughed, "Old! You're older than my grandmother! You're older than anyone I've ever met! You're an old lady!"

Regretting her words and biting her lower lip, Snow White remained silent. She had nothing else to say, and began to turn, ready to leave the devil with an angelic smile behind, stopped by the next words the girl uttered

"I like you, old princess," a pause, then, "though that means I might have more fun killing you before the nightmares do..."

Snow White sighed and continued to walk away. It was not a selfish act to not slay the monster before her, but instead a fair compromise. They could both walk their own paths, and reduce the number of nightmares within the Library at the same time. Fate might have it that the two might be forced to fight eventually, but easing the burden weighing on Snow White's heart would serve to benefit her authors' resurrection

"Burden?" muttered the princess to herself, ignoring the curses directed at her from the girl dressed in red, "What burden?"

It had been an unconscious thought. What about her Justice could leave to her being burdened? There could be no such thing. She strived to bring justice into the world, the cost did not matter, for she would be the one to carry the weight, unwavering all the while.

Seeing the troubled Snow White, Akazukin could only think of how she could have fun with her new playmate; she thought of the sort of faces the centuries-old beauty would make while being torn apart, bit by bit. It was only a matter of time before the two would cross paths again, and time seemed to pose no threat, after all, her story had ended so long ago she had already lost track of how long she had been in the Library

With a smile creeping across her face, the wolf in sheep's clothing picked up her hammer and left in search of a new toy, saddened that it might prove difficult to find someone as fun as the ivory princess, but joyful for the challenge regardless.

Justice left Brutality, the seeds of doubt planted in her heart, though not yet aware. Brutality smiled upon Justice, the thought of changing never before being something she ever considered. Both sins, both unhealthy earthly desires could cause a change in the other, one out of pity, the other of curiosity

Of course, with sins as rooted as their own, would change even be possible?

Only time would tell, and in a world as barren as the Library, time was all there was