I'm dying and I am ded

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HarmonianTraveller
CORRECT-!?

"BULLSHIT."

"It's the tru-"

"Oh my god Luki shut up I don't even want to look at you."

He looked at her sadly, the same, sad look he had been wearing all the while carrying her. Now she was back on the ground, more alive and furious than ever. "Luka... You know I meant you no harm, but please, you have to trust me for this."

"Oh, yeah? And what're you gonna do? Kill another twin to fake it?" A picture of Mikuo interrupted her thoughts. No, she mustn't let him. Rage boiled inside her heart, and she clenched her hands, nails digging into her skin. She glanced up at him as he stepped towards her, arms outstretched, trying to touch her. She flicked his hand away, bloodshot eyes glaring at him with such menace and entrenched anger he shuffled back.

"Luka, I'm only doing this for your sa-"

And then she lost it.

...

"How the hell did you get in here?"

Rinto held up his hands. "I snuck off when they were leading me and Len to some dead guy's cell. They wanted us to check his he-"

"Someone else died?" Miku gasped, eyes widening. She fell against Mikuo, and he jerked, but didn't shove her off, simply staring down at her worriedly. She began to sob. "B-But... How... She said Kaito wasn't the only one, yet... If all these people are dying... And we... They think it's us?" She buried her face in her hands and began to weep. Mikuo looked at her in surprise. Was she...? No. She was crying. She was actually crying. This girl, who he had found so strong and bold, was now completely broken down, crumbled and torn. Kaiko... Was that what that woman planned to do to them? Break them down until they were completely shattered? He touched her shoulder, but she continued crying. Rinto looked at them uncomfortably.

"I uh... Aren't you guys freezing?" Rinto coughed nervously, stepping closer to them. Mikuo felt his heat radiate towards them, yet... It was nothing compared to what he had sensed from Miku before. He blushed, shaking his head. The sobbing continued from next to him. "Well. I guess it's pretty cold in here." Rinto continued, sticking his hands into his pocket and acting like absolutely nothing was wrong. "Or really cold in here. I dunno. I can't really tell. And... I... Kind of..." He looked around and swallowed.

Mikuo gave him a sour glare. "Well? Spit it out."

Rinto shrugged his shoulders sheepishly. "I... Kind of lost track of finding the way out."

"WHAT!?" His yell echoed throughout the snowy room, bouncing against what seemed to be walls and coming back at them with a loud screech. "You so pleasantly made your way here and now you can't find your way out!?" He threw his hands up. "Great work, Rinto. Great. Thanks a lot, now we have another person to deal with."

"Hey." He looked at him in annoyance. "At least I can keep you guys from freezing to death." He watched as Miku collapsed into the wooden boards behind them, and Mikuo went after her, yet looking too uncomfortable to try and comfort her. "I'll look for a way out. Give a holler if one of you starts to die out." He then began to trudge away. Mikuo watched his little yellow head disappear into the snow, the warmth from his body disappearing as quickly as he did. He sighed, breath coming out as a shaky cloud in front of his face, and turned back to look at Miku.

Her shoulders were shaking, and her fingers and toes had turned blue from the cold. He reached out to touch her, but retracted his hand. Did he dare risk touching her? No... He turned back. Not... Not really. She appeared to have stopped crying, but she still hadn't looked up. He heard Rinto shriek something from the other end of the zone, but he was too far away to hear him properly. Footsteps started to sound louder, crunching through the snow, but he didn't care. He didn't care anymore. "Rinto!" Someone yelled. No, he didn't care. If he really had to care about anyone... He looked at Miku.

Further away, Rinto tumbled back in surprise. "Rin?" The Earthein threw herself into his arms, sobbing in pure happiness, but his only churned into an uneasy surprise. "What are you doing here? How did you get in here?" He frowned at her. "More importantly, do you know how to get out? No wait - I mean, what - No um, how are you-?"

"Yes, yes." She nodded. "They found you out. They wanted Len to get you. But I told them that I would be able to track you down faster. Not that fast, of course. Rinto, let's just stay here... For a while. If we go out now they'll seperate us immediately." She leaned against him. "And I suppose it's the cold. Your heat doesn't affect me here."

"Rin..." He sighed, pushing a lock of hair off her forehead. She looked up at him hopefully. "We have to get Miku and Mikuo out of here. Before the guards kill them. We musn't let them die. Also Luka will kill me if we do."

Rin pouted, but finally nodded her head. "Alright... But... If they're really going to plan an escape, you must promise me, run. Run like your life means it." She looked sad as she took his hand. "You're really warm..."

"Hot." He corrected. "But what about you? You're saying like you might not make it. We have to run together."

"We will run together." She smiled weakly. He didn't notice her as she released his hand and hid her arms behind her back. "But you must run as fast as you can. Go get Miku and Mikuo."

"Alright, co-"

"Go get them! I'll wait here." She shoved him away. He looked at her in surprise as he began to walk. "Don't forget what you promised me..."

"Both? No matter what." He winked at her as he trudged back to where the two Kins sat.

Rin looked down. "It's okay if you do..." She said softly as she looked at the leaves turning black on her arms.

...

It was hard enough to draw blood.

Anger radiated from her like a bulb, but the wicked smile on her face seemed to say otherwise. She didn't know why, but she was blinded but fury. And she didn't care. She wanted to do it. She had to do it. A cold joy, a cruel, merciless mirth. Simply anger couldn't cover what she felt as she knocked him back against the wall, her knuckles breaking his skin. He sunk back, defeated. She advanced towards him, grabbing him by the hood and lifting him up. His eyes were covered by his hood, but she grabbed his head and bashed into the wall, a loud crack echoing from somewhere in his body. The hood fell back, and she looked down at the blood on his face, with he staring back up at her fearfully into her burning eyes. "Serves you right." She whispered. "And I think it's time I end this."

Something coiled onto her arm, and Luki jerked in fright. A small snake curled around her arms, dripping with water, hissing at him. Its shiny, lustrous scales gleamed and it's tongue flicked. "No..." He looked at her fearfully. "How did... A Belcher's sea snake...? How..."

Luka smiled at him. "Oh, I have my ways. Come here." She moved her hand against his neck and he felt the snake curl up against him, cool scales pressing against his skin, soon winding around his neck, hissing, spitting, ready to kill. He looked at her, shaking his head, not a word. "But you don't plead for mercy..." She mused. "How... Accepting."

He sighed, sensing the snake opening its jaws, beady eyes resting on his pale neck. "No... I suppose I deserve this. I shouldn't have killed Lulu. This is all my fault."

Luka's smiled tightened, along with the grip on the snake. It hissed. "Don't. Talk. To. Me." The snake spat and hissed, baring it's fangs at Luki. "You must die."

Luki nodded. "As you wish."

Her heart clutched, but she grimaced. "Shut up, Luki." She raised the snake above his neck. "Shut up. I don't ever want to hear you talk again. And I never have to again."

He closed his eyes. "Then return what I deserve."

Luka screamed, opening the snake's mouth as she threw it against his neck.

Something pierced his skin.

Th snake fell at his feet.

...

"We have to get out." He persisted. "Come on. Rin knows the way. We have to go." Rinto grabbed Mikuo's arms. "Let's go, before you both freeze to death."

Mikuo nodded slowly, before he turned back to Miku. "Miku... Let's-" He paused. "Do you want to die?"

She shrugged.

"Oh, come on." His voice started to rise, and Rinto backed away. Mikuo grabbed her by the collar, pulling her up so that she faced him. "Just get up. I don't care, honestly, whether you die on the spot but I'm going to get your damned body out of here anyway."

"Just... Go away." Miku sighed, pushing his arms were from her as she began to trudge forward. All of a sudden she stopped, her eyes glazing over as she stared at something in the distance. "No." She whispered.

Mikuo looked at her, frowning. "No?"

"NO-!" Miku screamed, not at him, but at what apparently only she could see. Why? She couldn't, she just didn't understand, how everything seemed so fast forward while she was caught in slow motion. "No! NO! No..." She began to sob, hysterically as she collapsed to her knees on the snow. "Why..." Her watery eyes focused on only what she saw, filled with tears as she tried to tear her gaze away from it.

"What's the-" Rinto started, trying to see what she was looking at, and eventually he saw it. "Rin." He breathed. "Rin- NO!" He ran towards the figure laying in the snow, stopping at her body lying motionless before him. He fell before her, trying to scoop her up in his arms. "Rin... Please... Why? You said..."

She coughed, her eyelids fluttering open slightly. "Hah... I survived longer than the rest did." In a slow, pained motion, she moved her head up and lifted her shirt slightly to view several claw marks stretched across her torso. "I was able to... Escape the attackers, but the wounds would have killed me eventually. I saw them, looking for you, yelling at Len. I heard them say you were in the Ice zone, and I thought... Maybe... If I went with you, then maybe your heat wouldn't affect me as much. Yet... I knew, it would be the end of me soon. Thank you."

"No!" Rinto cried, unable to stop the warm tears flowing down his cheeks, a heartwrenching feeling tearing his chest apart. Why? He grabbed her hand and held it against his chest, but she only scrunched her fingers and winced. "But... You promised. I promised. That we would run together, that we would escape this rotten place. Together. Why, Rin? We were supposed to-"

"Take care of that brother of yours," Rin smiled weakly. At every word she seemed more and more distressed, loosing her life as quickly as he was loosing hope. He reached for something in his pocket, but none of them noticed. "And Lenka."

"She'll be heartbroken."

"Well, she'll have to deal with it, won't she?" Her eyes slid into half-mast, and her breathing began to slow down. "Thank you, Rinto... And... Keep your... Promise..."

"Rin... Rin..? No-"

"Rinto-" Mikuo started, reaching out for him, but the Solin burst into flames, lashing at him.

"NO!" He screamed, eyes burning in bright red fury, and in a blurred frenzy he pulled out a knife and-

Miku screamed as blood erupted before them.

...

"Oh my god," Luka whispered, throwing her arms around Miku as soon as she got withing hugging distance. "I'm so sorry you had to see that. Go inside, Gakuko is there." She turned towards Mikuo, still standing at the doorway. Both of them had managed to escape after Rin left a trail of crumbling black leaves to the door, but they were nearly freezing their tails off as they finally burst out of the zone. Covered in frostbites, the two then began arguing until they finally agreed to return to the swamp zone. Miku had wanted to take the two Solins with them, but they were too weak to move fast, especially with any weight. Luka was still smiling as she led the other Kin inside, but it disappeared as she turned to the other one. "As for you... Why didn't you stop him? The cold would've killed her eventually, and the wounds shouldn't have been obvious."

Mikuo glared at her in spite. "It was too fast! I couldn't have stopped it." He lowered his voice. "Anyway, I'm more concerned about who the attackers are."

Luka frowned back, looking highly disappointed.. "I'm more concerned that you're an asshole. Now GO INSIDE."

Mikuo shrugged and started to walk, before his sharp eyes caught sight of another figure standing at the side, not far away from them. He was hooded, he noticed, looking down warily as he passed him. "Who's that?" He asked curiously.

"A bigger asshole than you are. Inside, now."

The boy shrugged and made his way into the room quietly, where in one corner he noticed Miku sitting curled up in a ball. Gakuko was seated next to her, with one hand curled around her as she tried to comfort the teal-haired girl. A small fire had been lit in front of them, and he moved towards it immediately. He seated himself in front of the fire and held his hands out to warm them. He looked at them, frostbitten and blue fingertips numb, he realized he wouldn't be here if... He looked at Miku. If it wasn't for her. Luka gently moved herself into the water in front of them, gaze shifting from one pained face to another. "It'll be alright." She reassured softly. "Just hang on. If that dick over there can prove he's telling the truth, we should be out of here soon."

Miku looked up, dark eyes filled with regretful tears and... Blood? She wiped them away and nodded half-heartedly. "How long until she notices we're gone?"

"Hopefully long enough until we can get out of here. But don't worry." She patted Miku's hand. "We will get out of here. And everybody's coming with us."

"And the bodies?" Mikuo asked without thinking.

Three girls glared at him. "As for the bodies," Luka said, as bitterly as she could. "Well, we'll need somebody to carry them all, won't we? You seem like a strong boy..."

"OH HELL NO-"

"There is a body disposal system on the first floor." A calm voice interrupted the high-pitched bickering. Everyone turned to the hooded figure standing behind them, eyes lowered to the ground. "If you let me leave, I will take them to the back instead of the disposer. They'll think I'm heading there, but I'll make sure all of them are buried properly at the burial grounds."

Miku swallowed, feeling more tears prick at her eyes. "Everybody?"

"Everybody. I'll put the graves next to each other if you need me to."

The two blonde kids, how they had smiled at each other so warmly flickered in her mind, an image that she had seen as she looked into Rin's dying eyes. "Yes! Please, we'll-"

"Hold up." Luka interrupted harshly as she grimaced at him. "And how exactly am I supposed to trust that you're not going to run away with the bodies and sell them off?"

"You can't." Luki sighed sadly. "But a soldier always completes his duty, even if it leads him to his grave."

"Your duty led my sister to her grave."

"YO-" Gakuko cried out in alarm, covering Miku's ears.

Luka ignored her, glaring daggers at Luki, bowing shamefully underneath his hood. "Because of your duty, you destroyed my family. You ripped us apart. My mother died of heart brokenness. My father abandoned us in madness. I was left alone, too weak to find my friends, and they captured me. They brought me here, against my will, when all but my sanity had gone to waste. Oh, yes, your 'duty' sent my entire life to its grave."

"Luka-" Miku grabbed the Lumiere's arm, and she recoiled in pain and anger. "Please... There's nothing else we can do. We have to trust him. He's the only one that will lead us out of here..." It was her turn to look at him, and she gave a him a long, good and pain-filled look. "Right?"

Luki nodded solemnly. "Whatever you need me to do, I will fulfill." He looked curiously at Miku, her dark eyes, tail, ears, how odd she seemed compared to regular Kitsunes. The boy was not much different. Yet...

"Okay, Mr. Pink hair has pledged us his alliance. " Mikuo piped up. "Now let's get the heck out of here."

Luka sighed and nodded. "Gakuko, do you still have the explosives?"

Gakuko bit her lip. "I was forced to swing the jars away when the guards took you. Some broke. Some were lost in the murky water. I've only managed to recover two until you came in. I apologize."

"It's fine, it's fine..." Luka said, although it seemed she was trying to console herself more than the others. She remembered how long it had taken to get the mixtures right, to sneak the ingredients away, taking hours to slowly mix and blend the weeds until they had gotten the exact measurement. And now... She couldn't help it, but the blame had already fallen on him. She turned towards him angrily, the fins on her tail sticking out and quivering like they were going to burst into huge wings, and she would leap out and kill him right then.

And then, drink the blood from his neck, Mikuo thought.

"I know the way out. I will lead you there." Luki bowed his head.

Luka gave him a skeptical look, not hiding it at all. "Hmm... So you say."

Miku touched Luka's arm, and she swatted her away immediately. She moved back. "Whatever. And how do we escape the guard's eyes, you suppose?"

Luki kneeled in front of her, and she crossed her arms. He pulled out a scroll from his pouch and unrolled it on the wet ground in front of her. "The corridor that Hideyo took them through, to the separated cells." He pointed at a small path in the map. Miku bit her lip, remembering the smell and the sight when she had stepped in. "It is not as heavily guarded as it is the other places. If you can make it to at least there, you can wait for a while until I distract the other guards. We'll move inch by inch. Each floor has its own separate cell. Once we get down to the third floor, where you held you first trial, there will be a chamber for the monks. We can dispose of them easily. Change into their hoods, and passing the court, the disposal system is there. Wait in their chambers, and I will bring down the bodies. After that, I'll find a way to let the guards issue you a pass. When we get to the town, we don't have to worry."

Gakuko nodded. "Seems reasonable."

"Seems like a lot of waiting and trusting we'll have to do." Luka countered.

"Luka..."

"Alright, alright. Fine. We'll move after these two have regained their strength."

Luki nodded and folded the scroll back up. "We'll evacuate you first. If you can wait a little longer, preferably by the time we reach the monks' chambers, I can bring a few of your... Friends along. Whoever you need, but not too many. We'll have to leave everyone else, unfortunately. If we ever manage to come back, I promise I will set them all free."

Mikuo glanced towards Miku. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration, but her darkened eyes had become filled with determination. He remembered back when they were filled with tears and... Was it really blood? Had red liquid really poured out of her empty eyes, or was he dreaming? The dark-stained rag still sat in their cell. It was real blood that rolled down her cheeks, falling from her hollow eyes. He couldn't really think at the moment. "And you... You're okay?" He asked quietly. Her eyes flickered towards him, and were suddenly drained of hope.

"Yeah." She said. "I'm fine."

He nodded solemnly, deciding it would be best not to ask any more questions. Not to her, anyway In his mind, questions were forming non-stop, contentiously chewing at his worked-up brain. How long until they would be well-rested enough to escape the fortress? Would Hideyo find out they'd escaped the ice zone before they could even escape the castle? What would she do if she caught them? Could a pink-haired guy really be trusted? "Hey. Luka." He nudged the Lumiere's arm. Luka combed through her hair, and turned to look at him tiredly. She didn't answer, but her eyes asked him what he wanted. "This guy. You know him. Where did he come from? How does he know so much?" He lowered his voice, ears and tail reflecting the direction of his eyes. "And why exactly does he smell like a human?"

Luka took a breath. "I don't know. I really don't know. Let's just say I met him a long time ago, we're friends, not really, he did some bad stuff, it's a long story. I don't want to talk about it." She gave him a look. "And yes, he's a human. One he claims we can trust."

Mikuo sniffed the air. Now, he didn't quite trust this guy anymore. Before she had told him he was human, yes, maybe a sliver of trust lay between them, but now, no longer. No, he trusted humans no more. If he really meant to help them escape, he'd have done it already. Then again, if he'd meant to kill them, he'd have done it, too. He frowned. He'd just have to wait, then. But one wrong move... He looked towards Miku, who was staring sadly at the ground.

One wrong move.

That was it.

Oheyyy the story's actually going somewhere

amazing