Agent 38: I Never Forgot You

Chapter 14: Tired

     Even though Eight was back with her friends, she felt more uneasy and confused than ever.
     There was this constant pit in her stomach, something that kept her on edge and alert almost always. And, honestly, it was driving her insane. Eight knew on several mental levels that she was safe, that she didn't have to worry about anything except getting rid of the sanitization, but for whatever reason, it seemed as though her very soul just didn't believe it.
     That pit in her stomach came from Gabriel.
     Eight was very lucky no one had asked what she did, because she wouldn't have been able to come up with a quick enough lie to tell. She was also very fortunate that she'd kept her cape on, for she wouldn't have been able to wipe the inkstains off had she not taken it with her.
     She didn't kill him; that would have been far too ruthless. When she said she wanted him to come back and join the good side, she hadn't been joking. Eight wanted the last bit of her family to be with her, no matter how awful they were.
     But this... this was crossing the line in the most brutal way possible. And it wasn't Gabriel that she hated, it was what he'd said, and why she'd initially believed him. That was what she hated.

     The dagger was light and gleaming in her hands as she charged towards Gabriel. He drew his knife, stained a disgusting green hue, and grinned.
     Eight was already angry enough. The grin just pushed her over the edge, tipping the water out of the bucket and making her feel as though she physically couldn't BE any more angry or it would kill her.
     Just a footstep away, Gabriel made a swirling motion with his hand, and she heard tromping footsteps as his group retreated. The noises were drowned out, though, as their blades clashed together under the setting sun, siblings turned rivals, a family broken forevermore.
     Gabriel swung the knife upwards, clipping her in the jaw, splattering teal ink everywhere. Eight shrieked, slammed her heel into his stomach, and sliced the dagger cleanly across his white jacket.
     "Oh, come on!" He whined, gesturing towards the new pocket. "I had to threaten the finest tailor for these jackets!"
     "Stupid decision," Eight yelled, lunging for him.
     Unprepared, the knife toppled out of his hand as he stumbled backwards, out of range of her swinging blade. At this point, she felt so enraged that the dagger felt like a futher extension of her body, like all she had to do was swing her arm and she knew where it'd end up.
     Eight jabbed for his neck, so blind with anger that it didn't register with her that her body was trying to kill him. He leaned back, eyes wide with terror, the tip of the knife just barely grazing his skin. Taking advantage of the moment, she elbowed his chest, effectively toppling him over and knocking the air out of him at the same time.
     Eight felt her ears pressed against her head, her eyes whip-thin slivers, she felt every muscle in her body so rigid and tense that she could be still as a statue. Eight smashed her foot onto his stomach and pointed the knife down at his throat.
     They were both silent for a moment, breathing heavily, raggedly, glaring at each other with the most vicious of eyes.
     "You ruined everything, little brother," Eight spat, leaning down so much so that they were face to face. "You ruined it all."
     "You're one to talk," He hissed, his mahogany eyes stone cold. "You ran away! You left me behind! You left Miku behind! You left our family behind, you left everything you grew up with behind. You abandoned us all without a second thought of remorse. If anyone has ruined everything, it is most definitely YOU."
     "I didn't aban-"
     "What's worse," Gabriel continued, his face twisting in sorrow. "Is that you left us for those morons! You left for Cuttlefish and Callie and Marie and Aaron and- and Alexander," He spat out Three's name like it was a rotten pear. "You left us all behind for HIM."
     In one swift move, he swung his legs up and kicked her in the face, and Eight staggered back with a cry. She accidentally dropped the dagger and gripped her nose, which was surprisingly not broken yet, ink snaking out and down her face.
     A sharp slicing pain slashed across her right ribs down to her left hip, and Eight cried out in agony.
     She felt the very tip of the knife at her neck, threatening to kill her.
     "I won't kill you," Gabriel whispered. "But I'll leave you with something to ponder over."
     "Trust me, you've already left me with plenty." Eight snarled.
     Gabriel leaned to her ear, and she felt the smile in his voice as he whispered. "HE killed our parents."
     Then the knife clunked to the dirt, and her brother fled through the overgrowth, and Eight stood there like a tree, hearts racing.
     She bent over, grabbed the blade, slid it back into its sheath, and ran the other way.