This was not good. This was definitely not good. V could feel herself slipping, clots of black forming in her peripheral vision. Her body swayed, a sick nausea settling in her churning stomach. Her head pounded – a dull thump-thump-thump. But the sound was drowned out by the loud ringing that pierced her eardrums. Images moulded together, objects split, doubling. Her throat was raw and felt dryer than ever, the air she breathed in scratching at her lungs. The bruised area where the needle had punctured was on fire, as was the rest of her body. A roaring inferno sizzling in her veins.
With an amount of effort that shouldn't be necessary, V raised her head, blinking against the blaring red lights of the clock. Were they that bright before? She could've sworn they had been duller just minutes ago.
Forty minutes left.
Shit.
V pushed herself off from the wall she had taken to leaning on and stumbled forwards, knees trembling. Each small movement hurt – each tiny step sending jolts of pain through every muscle that constructed her weakened frame. She couldn't even think straight. Thoughts blurred, just like her vision, nothing seeming to make sense. One minute she would be thinking about Yuki, asking herself how her friend was holding up, and the next she was remembering moments between her and Jet from her childhood. Their training sessions, the times they spent just joking around, play fighting and then lying on the grass, worn out a panting. Those were the days. The days before this. The days before Hell.
The silver haired teen wasn't even sure where she was going anymore. She was no longer making decisive moves, contemplating her way – no, now she was merely stumbling through a labyrinth of hallways and corridors, hand dragging against the wall to keep her upright and breathing coming in short, fast bursts.
She didn't think she would last much longer. Maybe she had a weak tolerance for poison? She was sure that she was meant to be able to move, to fight, until at least ten minutes before the end of the game. But hey, what did she know? Her knowledge on this subject was weak, just like her now frail mind.
A cough. Blood stained her palm. Crap. Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap. This was not good. This was not good. No, no, no. She had made a promise. To Jet. To Yuki. She had promised Jet she'd live. Promised him they'd see each other again. She'd promised Yuki she'd live. Promised her that they would both get out of this tournament alive. Hell, even if they lost a few limbs along the way, she promised herself that she wouldn't die here. Never.
But that seemed so far away now. So long ago, even though it was probably only yesterday… or earlier that night… or earlier that morning… God, why did thinking have to hurt so much? V raised a hand to her head, eyes squeezing shut in pain. Her fingers pulled at the strands of her dirtied silver hair as she curled her hand into a fist, lips clenched between her teeth to bite back a whimper. If she was going to die, she would at least do so with dignity. She wouldn't give these sicko's what they wanted. She would make her last words awesome, with no tears, no moans of anguish, no broken pleas…
Another cough. More blood. There seemed to be more this time than the last few. The crimson liquid almost glowed in the dull light. Or it could just be her jacked up brain, deluding her. Soon she was overcome with a spasm of non-stop chokes, her shoulders trembling as she sunk down to the cold, earthen floor. Blood dribbled down her chin in thick streams, dropping to the floor in sickening 'plops'. Then she fell forwards, onto her side. Her eyes stung with tears, but she defiantly held them back, using her last ounces of strength to save her pride.
"And it looks like V's down! Is this the end of the Purple Team, or will our silver beauty make a comeback?" The announcers voice boomed, echoing inside V's head due to the effects of that god-damn poison.
She smirked.
"Sorry mate," She croaked, opening her piercing but glassy blue eyes and sending her best glare towards the general direction of the lachrima camera. "But this is it for me. But hey, at least I get out of this shit-hole, right?"
There was silence from the announcer and V forced a broken chuckle.
"Nothing to say? Thought so. Hey bastards watching this! My name is V Aqua Blaze, I'm nineteen and dying for your amusement! I bet you don't feel even a smidgen of guilt do you? Sympathy? Bet not, 'cause you're all arse-holes! Bloody dicks, and I hope you rot in hell!"
Her voice got slightly stronger through her speech and she flopped onto her back, grinning widely even as she struggled to catch her breath.
"Karma's only a bitch if you are, they say, and you lot are just one big batch of filthy female mutts!" She gave one final yell, before she coughed and closed her eyes again, feeling the last trickle of blood run down her chin and her neck, soaking into her clothes.
This moment would be perfect…
If I had no regrets…
If I had been able to say goodbye to Jet…
Say I'm sorry to Yuki…
But hey, this is the best I could ask for…
She drew in her last breath.
"I hope one day someone kills you… That you get what you deserve…"
And her body went limp, arm sliding from her chest and smacking to the floor below.
So I guess I'll just say it now…
Even though you won't hear me…
Goodbye Jet…
Goodbye Yuki…
I'm so sorry…
Please forgive me…
Yuki snapped her eyes open as she heard V's voice, the speakers causing the words to boom throughout the labyrinth. She felt her eyes sting and her body frees, crystalline tears threatening to fall. Even the pain in her own body caused by the poison that ran through her veins became numb as she listened to the venom and anger and utter defeat ringing clear in her comrade's voice.
In a way, that hurt more than the poison that burned her body.
Shit, that sounded cheesy.
Her hands furled into fists and she felt her jaw clench. She wasn't angry at V. Far from it. She was angry at those bastards that ran this thing, that stupid announcer, herself. V had fought hard, and her Yuki was, chained to a frickin' wall being no help whatsoever. Hell, even her flipping magic was blocked. She felt stupid, weak, useless…
"Feisty, ain't she?" A voice spoke and Yuki looked up into the sharp onyx eyes of the boy from the other team, his somewhat dirty blue hair falling in his face. His face gave off no hints of being scared, in fact, it was pretty emotionless. He just looked tired, and worn, the poison obviously taking its toll on him too. Even if he could hide most of it.
Yuki just sighed and looked away, trying to will away the tears that were beginning to blur her vision. Or it could be tears – it could also be the dark liquid that flowed through the veins, the likes of which was usually marked with the typical skull and cross-bones. She couldn't be entirely sure.
"I'm sorry." The boys voice was softer this time, and again Yuki looked up, noticing that his piercing black eyes had also softened considerably, flashes of sympathy flitting across the dark, dark orbs.
"She went out with her dignity, at least… It would've been worse if she had died a weeping mess." Yuki whispered, a small, sad smile tugging at her lips. "That would've been… so un-V…"
The boy gave a pitying smile. They both knew that V's death meant Yuki's too, but they were carefully avoiding that topic. After all, it didn't need to be clarified. Sudden footsteps then drew the two's attention over to the open door, watching as a girl stumbled in, her face unhealthily pale. He white hair was matted and he movements seemed languid, as if the poison in her body was slowly eroding her muscles. Which in retrospect, it probably was. A smile came to her face though as her gaze landed on the dark blue haired boy, he body staggering forwards towards him.
"Ace…" She breathed, the word croaky as her eyes lit up at the sight of her partner alive. Ace just scoffed, though his lips seemed to quirk upwards somewhat.
"Look, I know I'm one sexy beast but you could stop staring and unchain me? You have the key, don't you?" The white haired girl flushed and nodded, quickly scrambling around her pockets until she produced a black key. Ah, so they had been given it at the beginning. That made them a tad less cruel, Yuki guessed. After all, they could've made the girls search for the key as well as struggle to find their partners with poison running through the their veins. There was a click as the lock popped free and then a clatter as the chains tumbled to the floor. Ace dropped with them and sat on the floor, rubbing at his wrists.
"Now all we have to do is exit through that door and we're home free…" The boy murmured, looking that the other door in the room – the one that wasn't open, and was marked with a red 'X'. Imaginative. Then, his gaze flitted away from his route of escape and to Yuki. Their gazes locked and the blue haired boys seemed to darken in a silent apology. Yuki smiled.
It was fine, they could go.
After all, there was no point in winning if V wasn't there with her…
Sighing and hearing the other teams footsteps fade into the distance, Yuki looked at the entrance to the small little room…
And she wondered…
How long…
Until…
The…
Poison…
Killed…
… her…
OMG MY FREAKING GOD I HAVEN'T UPDATED IN FOREVER I'M SERIOUSLY SO FREAKING SORRY I'VE BEEN SO BACKLOGGED WITH STUFF AND DEAR JASHIN I FEEL SO BAD RIGHT NOW! STUPID OPTIONS TAKING OVER MY LIFE! UGH! BUT HEY? I'VE UPDATED NOW RIGHT? BUT YOU'VE PROBABLY ALL BEEN THINKING I'M DEAD OR I'VE ABANDONED THIS FIC AND THAT I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON AND OH DEAR LORD YOU PROBABLY HATE ME DON'T YOU?!
*Prussia whacks the idiot over the head with Hungary's frying pan while Carter nods approvingly*
Prussia: MEIN GOTT WILL YOU SHUT UP?!
Carter: Yeah, Em, you're really starting to get annoying...
Me: I KNOW IT'S JUST THAT I FEEL SO BAD AND OH GOD IT'S HORRIBLE AND -
*Carter snatched frying pan from Prussia and does the honours this time*
Me: Ok... I'm cool now...
But still guys, I'm like, super sorry! I've been so bogged down with assemblies and letters about options and then there's the fact that I was all caught up with making Daniel's Canada cosplay and ordering my own Prussia cosplay and then going to Telford and now I'm preparing for the NEXT Expo in London in May and I've had to get my England and America Cosplay's sorted out and then I'm organisig this big Hetalia Meet-up for the MCM in May and *Sigh* I'm just making excuses... I'm sorry...
Here, have this depressing chapter and some of my not-great-because-I-was-stressed XD
AGAIN I'M SO SORRY
AND TO TOP IT OFF
THIS STORY IS GETTING INCREASINGLY HARD TO WRITE
BECAUSE I'VE SORT OF SLIPPED OUT FROM THE FAIRY TAIL FANDOM
I STILL LOVE IT
JUST NOT AS MUCH
AND OH GOD
PLEASE FORGIVE ME!