Aru Shah Oneshots

Hanahaki AU: Chapter 6

Ehehe, uh, hi guys, please don't kill me, I know I've been inactive for, like, two months, but no hard feelings, right? Anyways, here ye go.

Aru slammed the door shut and flopped onto her bed. Her sisters were right. The vibe right now between her and Aiden was really uncomfortable, and she needed to fix it. ASAP. But what could she do? She groaned into her pillow then started to punch the one next to her. After 5 solid minutes of making sure her pillows life was absolute hell, she stopped, heaving. A few petals fell out of her mouth, causing Aru to grunt in frustration. It was then when she heard a timid knock on her door. Aru paused and glanced the door, wondering whether she should open it and just be chill, or knock the door down and immediately kill the monster on the other side. Aru grumbled and walked over to the door. She figured her mom would be pretty angry at her for breaking the door and most likely killing one of the Potatoes that were standing on the other side.

It'd be terrible if it were one of her sisters, but Rudy? She'd be okay with that, actually. She cheered up at the thought and opened the door, only to find Kara waiting for her on the other side. Looks like she wouldn't be getting rid of the snake today.

"Heeey, sister! What's up?" Aru said, casually leaning on doorway, trying to look as chill as possible. Kara glanced at Aru, then quickly looked to the floor.

"Umm, I, er, kinda wanted to talk to you," Kara said, speaking softly, tucking a loose strand of her glossy brown hair behind her ears. Aru began to envy her beauty, glancing at her own messy braid. Why couldn't her mom pass her good genetics down to her as well? Life was so unfair. Aru huffed to herself and annoyance, then quickly nodded at Kara, gesturing her to come inside her room.

"Yeah, sure, come in." Kara shook her head and suddenly grabbed Aru's hand, dragging her back down the stairs. Aru jerked back a little at her touch but relaxed soon after. She turned her head back towards her younger sister and explained.

"I really need a private space to talk to you; your room isn't enough. I don't want anyone to overhear us."

Aru flinched at the sharp tone in Kara's voice, the sudden movement bringing the older girl's back to the stairs.

Okaaay, that was weird, Aru thought, Kara still leading her down. She reached out to her sisters, asking them about Kara's weird interactions.

Yo, do you guys know why Kara is acting a bit weird?

Huh? Is she okay? Should I get her temperature checked? IS SHE DYING?!!

Mini! Calm down! And Shah, we haven't seen Kara since this morning anyways. Why are you asking?

Aru felt a small knot in her stomach form- her gut feeling- telling her that something wasn't right.

Shah? Are you there? Brynne hollered through the mind-link.

Are you sure you're okay, Aru? Mini asked.

Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, Aru said hurriedly. I was just asking, that's all.

Silence.

Aru... where are you? Brynne asked, suspicion laced into her voice. Aru bit her lip in hesitation then gave in.

Okay, fine, Kara is leading me down the stairs... Oh, now we're at the bottom and- WTF?!!!

Aru abruptly stopped her sentence when Kara shoved her into a small storage room just below the staircase, which was hidden by cardboard boxes and stepped in, shutting the tiny door behind her. The entire space wasn't any bigger than a small room, but it was packed with things that her mom never used. Still, Aru never knew about it. It was dusty and probably contained magical artifacts, Aru realised after looking around a bit. Aru coughed, spitting out more bloody flowers, not looking at the expression on Kara's face. Aru hacked out a few more petals, her hand going to Kara's, but no support came from the older girl. Aru glanced at Kara at shock, her mouth hanging open and her wheezing slowing down. Kara was smirking, glancing between the petals on the ground and the blood on her sister's face. Almost like...

Almost like she enjoyed seeing her in pain.

Aru's eyes clouded over in confusion, and she stood up shakily, backing away, step by step. Kara inched forward, making Aru squirm, her face now contorted into a scowl.

"Kara, what are-"

"You took everything from me! My life, my mother, and now Aiden? Can't you ever let me have something? You, the perfect little princess, and you get every single freaking thing you want! Never have you ever let me have my own happiness, always stealing mine!" Kara roared at Aru, her eyes pooling with tears and heartbreak, but the anger that shone through was what shocked Aru the most.

Kara never got angry. Aru, still in shock, tried to contact her sisters through the mind-link, but all she got in return was a faint buzzing. Aru shook her head at Kara's words, her own anger bubbling. She looked Kara square in the eye and poked her finger at the other girl. 

"Excuuuuse me, but when did my life become perfect all of a sudden? Last time I checked, I was the one who lost my dad, I was the one who made a wish and got cursed to forget it and I, according to Opal, am the untrue sister, and I have to put up with all the stupid rumours about me that are NOT TRUE!" Aru yelled back. If Kara was angry before, she was absolutely livid now. Before her sister could speak, Aru held up her hand and went on.

"And don't even get me started on Aiden! He is not mine! Just because I like him doesn't make him mine, does it? Sure, that idiot is the reason behind me chucking up rose petals like there's a freakin' wedding 'round the corner! But I knew he would never like me back, and even if he did, which is unlikely, I didn't tell him because I wanted to let you two have a chance together, but you know what? I regret that now! So, stop telling me that I have a perfect life! I'm going to die anyways in a few hours, so forget it! He's all yours!" 

Aru turned around; the tears were streaming down her face. All the pain and anger poured out, and for the first time in a long time, Aru felt a massive weight lifted of her shoulders. The screaming had left her throat sore and coughing up even more petals, but she didn't care anymore. All of this would be gone soon, and so would she. Kara stayed quiet behind her, and Aru thought she had finally convinced her to leave her alone, but Kara shook her head and grabbed Aru's hands and twisted them behind her back painfully, causing Aru to cry out. She wrapped something around Aru's wrists and tightened it, then stuffed a piece of dirty cloth into her mouth. Kara picked up a pan from the corner of the small room and brought it above her head. Aru's muffled cries didn't deter her, and what Kara said next left Aru shattered.

"Aiden was right. You're not worth it. You're a liar and are a stupid excuse of a hero. You can't even stop someone who's tying you up. I guess this is goodbye then, dear sister, I'm going go back to my dad. He's going to bring the world together, a world where you're dead. Enjoy your reincarnation. Maybe your next life won't be as pathetic as this one."

Aru felt numb. She stopped moving or making any signs of trying to escape.

Kara raised the pan, bringing it down, when-

KLANNG! Kara slumped to the ground. Aru was already starting to feel dizzy; Kara's betrayal was taking a toll on her. The dark was creeping into her vision and her head lolled back, all of her previous energy leaving her. Two figures stood over her and one crouched down and lifted her up in bridal style.

"Stay awake Aru. You're going to be fine."

"Promise?" Aru wheezed, her head spinning and sweat dripping down her forehead.

"Promise."

Hey readers! I'll try and update as soon as I can, but I can't make any promises. Please don't be ghost readers, I'd love it if you'd drop a comment or voted for the story!

Adios!

-Tisha