NOTES & REFERENCES: Eyo! Sorry this took longer than usual. I'm struggling with writing as this is a very 'deep' chapter. I want to make sure I get everything right. We're approaching the finale, there's probably only gonna be 2 or 3 chapters more. I want to keep the story focused on the main aspects instead of drifting off.

Oh, and have you all watched the far cry experience on Youtube? It's brilliant. Lots of inspiration from there. AND Michael Mando - aw yeah.
The title of this chapter is a lyric from 'Love The Way You Lie Part 2' by Rihanna and Eminem.

Part 6 - Hush, baby, speak softly

Robert and the other Rakyat laughed out loud. "Oh yeah? This man has killed all of your friends, Emilia. He has ruined your life, taken away everything you had, and you? You take a bullet for him? So, what, you're his girlfriend now?" I supported myself using my left lower arm, pressing it to the ground. My right arm was completely numb; useless. I did not answer him; I was too focused on the pain. "Hey!" Robert kicked my hip, causing me to roll over; I was now half on top of the still unconscious Vaas. "Oh, did I hurt you? Come on, Emilia. Get away from him. Come with us." – "How about you go fuck yourself" I muttered, now feeling incredibly dizzy, my vision blurry. I felt around for Vaas' weapon holster. "Hell! You're still a little firecracker."
I found the holster, pulled out the pistol and aimed for Robert's chest. "You bet." His eyed widened a little. "Whoa, baby, keep it cool. You don't want to die, right?" He started chuckling. "You won't shoot me. I'll leave you be for a while, but I'll be back, Emilia, and trust me, if you don't want to come with me then, you will die. And your lover will, too." A hand gesture of his made all of the Rakyat men pull back and leave the scene. I heard motors starting and cars driving off. The other pirates came rushing over to us. "Are you okay, chica?" But I had already dropped the weapon and let the pain take over.

When I woke, I felt dizzy as hell. I wanted to lift my arm up to run my hand over my face, but it began to hurt crazily when I just moved one finger. I panted and let it be. Instead, I looked around the room. I was in Vaas' house, on his bed – the room was completely destroyed; most furniture was broken and no one had bothered to clean it up yet. As I turned my head a little, I saw Vaas sitting on a chair near the door, resting his head on his hands. "Hey" I said. He looked up. "Fuck, cuero, you're awake." – "I am indeed. You okay?" – "You're – you're asking me if I am okay? You are fucking crazy. How did this happen, cuero? Did I not tell you to fucking stay out of my shit?" He kicked one of the already broken bottles on the ground. I sunk a little more into the pillow I was leaned on. "Damn it, Vaas, I saw them trying to kill you. What was I supposed to do? This is just… a little scratch. Don't worry." He stood up. "Oh, yeah. Sorry for misinterpreting. I didn't know if you would survive after they stitched you up, Emilia. You have no fucking idea, right? Just playing the fucking heroine, just like that, huh?" As he moved around, I could see countless scratches and cuts on his body, bruises, fading signs of the fight. "I pointed a gun at him, you know. I could have shot him." Vaas turned around and stepped to me. He crouched down and stroked my cheek. "Told you it's different than shooting bottles, no?" – "Vaas, I –" – "Hush. I don't want to hear it." He rested his head in my lap and it was quiet in the room for a few minutes. I softly ran along the scar on his head with my fingertips, those of the hand that was movable. Quietly, Vaas said: "I had been living here thinking that my sister was dead. Killed by fucking… whatever, you know. Rebels. She had been so sweet, a small, slim, beautiful girl, she had always been better than me, better at heart. One night, at the beach, a boat approached, she was in it. She was tattooed, she had grown up. She had warriors with her. She had formed an army. I said 'Citra, what has become of you'." I flinched at her name. Citra was Vaas' sister? "They all obeyed her like little puppies. She wanted to take the island, she wanted to take my Island. She turned against me, against her own brother, she took out a knife and she fought me, she tried to kill me. I had a pistol aimed at her, but I could not shoot. I could not pull the fucking trigger, she was my family after all. She hauled off and… she hit the knife into my head. She took what was mine, then took off." When Vaas was finished, it was quiet around us again. I did not know what to say. Vaas had never opened up to me like that, and now I was startled at him talking about his past. He lifted his head up and looked at me. "Citra… she fucked me up. She's just like me, you know. Too much like me. Now it is between her and me, who kills who first. It's probably gonna be her, she is my fucking weakness. I didn't trust anyone since" – he took a little break – "except you. I'm going to make certain I won't lose the one person that has earned my trust. Okay?" I nodded hesitantly, speechless.
It was like Vaas was numbed. He didn't tell more, but he didn't have to. He told me about the most painful experience of his life, and even more, he told me about his weakness. Up to this point, Vaas had never shown his vulnerable side to me and I had thought that he never would, eventhough I had sensed one deep inside of him. The whole rest of the night, Vaas lay next to me, the both of us barely speaking. At one point, I fell asleep, I still felt dizzy and my arm was numb.

I awoke when Vaas climbed over me to get out of the bed in the morning. The sun just came up and hit his half-naked body. Man, he had been beat up. There were cuts all over his body, next to old scars. I tried and sat up straight. My arm hurt like crazy. I groped at my shoulder and could clearly feel where the bullet had hit me through the bandage. I flinched in pain, but swung both legs out of the bed. Vaas turned around with a glass of water and two pills in his hands. He handed them over to me without a word. "What's this?" – "It gets rid of the pain for a while. I figured you didn't want to stay in bed again." He put on a shirt and his pants. "Right" I said and eyed the pills. Probably the best stuff I could get on this island, I thought while putting one on my tongue and gulping down some water. I put the other in my pocket, just in case the pain was to come back. I stood up. There was absolutely no way of moving my shoulder, or anything connected to it. "You good, seniorita?" I bit my tongue. "Yeah" Vaas started chuckling quietly. He handed me a clean, white tank top and winked at me. "Time to rock some Americano ass!"
The pain started to ease when we exited the house. And then it hit me: Where there previously had been little houses, there was now a pile of ashes, in the background burnt trees. I clasped my hands over my mouth in shock. I had almost forgotten how bad it had gotten out here. Vaas, next to me, rubbed his hands together excitedly. "War time, boys!" Some pirates that were around helping to clean up the mess looked up and started muttering to one another. When he turned around to me, he was grinning, the insanity had him back. No sign of the vulnerable Vaas. "We are leaving in 30 minutes! Enough time to pack your toothbrushes, hermanos!" His hand slit through my hair to the back of my neck and he kissed me. "I'll go burn up some villages. See you tonight, cuero!" And he was off like a little boy to the playground.