This is directly related to my other fanfic: The War of Nine. This is canon for that story in terms of Five's history, and this won't be revealed in this way in there. Her name is Rie in Japan. Outside of his thoughts I refer to her as Five but in his thoughts/ dialogue she is Rie.
/-/-/
Numbers
What are you going to do? Kill me?
I never hold back.
Neither do I.
Then you are horrible at this.
Then why has it taken you, a master, a total of forty five minutes to beat me?
I was going easy on you.
You never hold back.
Tsuko comes to the door, hesitant to knock. He knows exactly what is inside and can guess the exact look on her face, yet he cannot bring himself to touch the wood.
He hasn't exactly been quiet, she should know he is there. After gathering every ounce of courage he has, Tsuko knocks on the door, a little too quickly.
No answer. He takes this as a sign to come inside.
The room is much neater than normal, although it is normally very neat. There is a suitcase Tsuko has never seen before on the bed, which is perfectly made. And Rie comes
"You have ten seconds to leave before I kick your ass hard enough to send it back to hell," she says, dark eyes burning with ice. "Ten, nine-"
"Rie, this is idiotic."
"-Seven-"
"Are you doing this to spite me?"
And how would he have arrived to that conclusion, Five thinks. She's too tired to smirk
"You have an inflated ego," she responds. "Six-"
"I just wanted to ask-"
"Five-"
"Will you shut up and let me talk to you!" he finally explodes. He pauses, breathing deeply. Why is it now when you make it difficult to talk to you?
Five stops, simpering and crossing her arms, sitting against the bed-post. Tsuko opens his mouth to say something, anything, but the look in her eyes, the amusement but fatigue jars his tongue.
He has never seen her eyes show emotion before, but then he remembers, walking through the workouts without emotion, without a thought in her head. Then her eyes, at the same time showing nothing also reflecting something like confusion and pain. It was well masked.
She always masked things well, there was never a detectable waver.
"Why are you leaving?" he manages to say. He knows the answer, he just wants to hear her talk. Anything for that. Anything for something that reduced him to behaving like a child.
Five struggles for an answer, rummaging through many, many lies. One comes to mind, a broad, vague truth.
"Because I want to," it's the truth, more than anything and Tsuko knows this
Five doesn't embellish at all, not wanting to say anything on the topic of... everything. Again.
The next part is not what he expects.
"Because I have to."
There is a long silence, neither of them willing to say anything. Such long silences became a custom in their relationship, but now the silence was like shadows, less so the prior warmth.
''I'm leaving. There is nothing you can do about it," her gaze hardens.
"I know."
"Then why are you here?" she asks, smirking. She wants him to stay, keep her from leaving. Five knows Tsuko won't though.
"I respect that," he says after a long silence. And he means it, both Tsuko and Five no that.
He sighs and asks, "Will you at least keep in touch?"
"What am I, a sixth grader?" again smiling yet no happiness in the smile that tells him that she will. It pains her to start the numbers again, they remind her too much of what her life will become, "Four."
Then she stops, smiling down a little, shoulders shaking from supressed laughter.
Five winces, suddenly, and Tsuko looks in confusion. She looks down again, focusing on her feet and breathing deeply.
Don't cry, Rie- Five. I'm Five now. Don't you dare cry.
"Your choice and you made it," he says. She remains in that position not twitching a muscle. "Want me to say something cliched?"
"Go for it," she says, cracking a smile before turning around abruptly to zip up her suitcase, and straighten the pillows on the bed. She turns back to him, a sense of finale on her face.
"Wherever you go I'll be with you," he can barely say it with a straight face.
"Hah. Good luck with that," they both laugh.
What may be our last, Tsuko thinks.
She sighs again and says, "I made my choices, I pay the price. I'm going and there is nothing you can do about it."
She was always good at masking things well. Not a waver of emotion on her face. Ever. Until now, and Tsuko was willing to bet that this would be the last time.
Showing emotions is good. Not that he ever does it either.
"Nice knowing you for two years. I didn't regret a thing."
"You never went easy on me," then she says more to herself than anything. "Yeah, you know me."
He walks away, you know I still love you. I know you hate me. But I still love you. Yet, you are going. Not because of me, although mostly because of me.
I still love him. Why? she thinks. Then she remembers what she has to do. Well I do look up to him. That's normal. And his help will benefit me a lot.
Three.
For the last time, he looks back to see her in the doorway, meeting his eyes. He watches as she turns away then takes her suitcase, throws it out of the window, tucks herself into the window frame. She pauses and thinks, I still love him. Why?
Two.
She turns back and stares at him again, hoping, both of them are, that this will not be the last time.
Then she drops from view.
One.
Five now. Not Rie. Not Liliya. Five.
Zero.
Dramatic exits are not for people like them.
/-/-/-
I ship them so hard but probably because only I know what happens to Tsuko later (in book five).