DISCLAIMER: Hey guys, how long has it been? Ten years? Agh, why am i so bad at this? I really should update more... I swear, sometimes you guys must think that i just dropped off the face of the earth. Sometimes i think that too. Oh well. Actually, I am really happy (and a bit suprised) to see that you guys havent just dropped this yet. You guys are so kind T.T As long as someone is reading this, i will write. Even if it does take me a few years to put this up...
Faith woke up to multiple faces with rather odd expressions looking down at her. The twins looked slightly impatient while Tamaki looked as though he was about to cry.
"Faith! I thought you were never going to wake up!" He cried. Faith jumped at his sudden remark before settling down again.
'No good. I'm still too jumpy.' She thought to herself. She glanced over at Mercy who was sitting at the foot of her bed with her back to them. The twins had dragged Tamaki out of the room and were helping him calm down and collect himself. Mercy stared at the door, unmoving. Faith fidgeted uncomfortably as she carefully thought about what to say.
"So…nice weather we're having." She sputtered. Mercy stiffened to the sound of her voice but slowly began to relax again.
"It's raining." Mercy replied dryly.
"…..Oh." Faith responded quietly. Everything was silent to a fault. The clock that usually gave off a quiet ticking noise now seemed loud enough to create earthquakes. Despite its amplified sound, nothing could drown out the thunderous beating of her panicked heart. The atmosphere was still enough for a single breath to cause ripples to form in the air like a stone in a lake.
"Faith." Mercy said, breaking the silence.
"Y-yes?" She asked nervously. Mercy stiffened again and she clenched her teeth. Suddenly, she loosened her body up, let out a long breath, and continued.
"Ms. Yuri…She's dead." Mercy's words hit Faith like a 2 ton bomb.
"What?" Her voice cracked as she asked in a barely audible tone. She felt her stomach drop and a sickly feeling took over her.
"B-but…..but it was just her arm! Even Kyoya said-" Faith's trembling voice was cut off by a sharp one.
"Even Kyoya said what?" Mercy snapped.
"T-that she'd…..be okay." Faith whispered back.
"Well she's not! She-" Mercy hesitated for a moment. "S-she bled to death. I killed her." She finished. Even though she didn't think it was possible, Faith's heart broke again.
"N-no. No you didn't." Her voice came out more like a breath then it did words. She felt the tears threaten her eyes, but refused to let them spill.
'How? How can this be happening? I don't care if bad things happen to me anymore, but Mercy…She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve any of this.'
"N-no you didn't." She whispered again.
"Yes I did. I pulled the trigger. I killed her. It's my fault." Mercy said, her voice rising louder.
"It wasn't your fault! It was all my fault! If I hadn't been so stupid then this never would have happened!" Faith cried out. Mercy fell dead quiet and Faith's words were left to settle in the air.
"You're right." Mercy said after a long while of silence. Faith looked at her with confusion and shock.
"This is all your fault. I am always the one who has to find you, save you, protect you, and…and I can't do it anymore. In order to save you, I have to sacrifice myself. I gave up my home, my peace, my life, and even myself so that I could help you. Saving you….is killing me." Mercy was shaking, but still kept a tall posture. Faith stared at her with wide eyes that still held back oceans of tears. Some part of her believed that she was having a nightmare or was making it all up, but the pain was too real. That's when Faith stopped looking at Mercy. She wanted to pull the covers over her head and wish it all away. If Mercy wasn't here then she couldn't have just said that, but to Faith's horrible realization, she was here and she did say it. Faith was in too much shock to feel anything but when Mercy spoke up again, all Faith wanted to do was cry.
"I realized when she died that things would never change. As long as I am with you, freedom and peace will never be possible for either of our lives." Mercy paused again and took a deep, shaky breath. "That's why I am leaving." Those words sent every emotion in Faith's body spiraling. Her sorrow turned into panic, as did everything else until she became immobilized by fear. She broke down and tears started flooding down her face.
"W-what do y-you mean y-you're l-leaving? Y-you c-can't. You can't!" Faith screamed. Her body was shaking violently and she felt as though the breath had been knocked out of her.
"My bags are packed and I have already bought the train tickets. I leave tomorrow." Mercy said quietly. It was all happening to quickly for Faith; she honestly thought that she might have died right then from a heart attack.
"I-I'll come with you." Faith knew that she was asking in vain. Mercy was leaving to get away from her after all. Still, she had to try.
"No. You have to stay here and finish your studies. Don't forget how hard you worked to get here." Mercy said calmly with a hint of sadness.
"You worked hard to get here too." Faith's voice shook and more tears slid down her cheeks.
"Faith." Mercy whispered.
"It's just you and me. That's what you said, remember? That's what you always say." Faiths voice was about as stable as she felt; which, in simple terms, meant that it wasn't stable at all.
"You will be staying with Tamaki and the others. They have been kind enough to offer you their homes and assistance, so don't worry. You won't be alone." Mercy continued, refusing to acknowledge Faith's words.
"No! You never even wanted them involved! Why now? Please. Don't leave me." Faith's head hung low in defeat and despair. Mercy was hunched over and her shoulders were slumped. Never before had she ever looked so…so vulnerable.
"How long must you make me suffer until you will finally set me free?" Mercy's voice came out as defeated and fragile as she looked. It sounded like she was crying but Faith couldn't know for sure. Everything she heard sounded muffled and wrong. Those words replayed over and over in her mind and right then, she knew those words would haunt her forever. She wasn't sure if it was because she calmed down or broke down, but she stopped shaking and her heart beat slowed down.
"You're leaving me now too. Why am I the only one who can't escape me?" Her voice came out broken and exhausted. Mercy forced herself to straightened up and take it a shaky breath.
"You didn't do anything wrong, so don't blame yourself. I am the one who let you down. I am the one that wasn't good enough; wasn't strong enough." Mercy stood up, causing the bed to squeak. She started walking to the door but stopped when she heard Faith speak.
"Do you hate me now too?" Faith didn't want to ask, but the words slipped out. She wanted Mercy to turn around, smile, and say that she could never leave. She wanted Mercy to burst through the door, tell her that the person she was talking to was a stranger in disguise, and scold her for being foolish enough to believe that. Sadly, that wasn't going to happen because this was reality and that was a fantasy. Mercy didn't look back but instead kept on walking. She opened the door and was about to leave when she paused.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, just loud enough for Faith to hear before walking out the door and out of Faith's life.
AUTHORS NOTE: Let me start by saying that this turned out a lot sadder than I first thought it would. This is actually the reason for me updating so late. I wrote this chapter a while ago but i didnt want to wait months before updating with this one like i did the others because of how terribly this ended. I wrote a bit more but that's only half the battle. Now if i could only stop putting off actually uploading them...Sigh. I always feel nervous when looking at my comments because i think i'm going to get scolded, but seeing how kind you guys are always sets my mind at ease. Even your criticism is said very nicely so thank you very much ^w^ It's okay though, i scold myself enough for all of you. Anyway i should be able to upload the next one sooner then i usually do. You know, if i can actually not be lazy for once. See you guys later (Hopefully).