SNAKESKIN (Tangerine) ✓

二十六

The Cobra

I stood up, wiping the bloody blade on the arm of my jacket. It was already ruined—what would one more smear of blood do? I turned around to see Ladybug staring at me, impressed. He rose to his feet, a small smile on his face.

"Someone has a grudge."

I rolled my eyes, turning to face the car behind Ladybug as two figures climbed down from the train. "Shigeru," I called out, gaining the attention of him and his son. "Have you seen the Twins?"

Shigeru shook his head. "Sorry," he said, reaching down to pull his sword from the White Death's chest. He turned to his son. "Yuichi, have you seen anyone?"

Shigeru's son—Yuichi—shook his head. "No."

I sighed in defeat and made my way over to the Momomon car. It was empty as far as I could tell. I climbed up through the smashed window, glancing up and down the aisle for any sign of Tangerine or Lemon. I made my way into the next car, checking each seat, as well as under the tables in the four-seater booths. It was empty as well. There was no sign of anyone.

"Hey!" I heard Yuichi shout from outside. "Hey, I found someone!"

That was all it took for me to turn around and sprint back to the others. Please be Lemon or Tangerine, I prayed inwardly as I dropped down to the dusty ground. A few cars down, Yuichi was dragging a motionless body from the wreckage over towards Shigeru and Ladybug. I couldn't tell who it was, but a sinking feeling manifested in my stomach, making me even more onerous than I already was.

"Who is it?" I ran forward as Yuichi dropped the person's legs, standing back to let me see. "Fuck." I dropped to my knees, my shaky hands immediately latching onto Tangerine's grimy collar. His eyes were closed and he wasn't moving; he was barely breathing. I shook him gently, urging him to say something but he didn't, so I shook him more harshly, tears brimming in my eyes as his motionless body lolled around like a deadweight. "Tang?"

"Hey," I felt a hand on my arm, gently pulling me away from Tangerine's body. I didn't look up though; I knew it was Shigeru. "I think it might be too late for him."

That was it. All it took was a few simple words to break me. My unfazed, confident facade was merely a mask, and it was unbelievable how quickly it could drop. I shrugged Shigeru's hand off of my arm as the tears began to stream from my eyes. I hung my head, letting it rest in my hands as I sobbed.

I couldn't look at him. I couldn't bear to see the shallow rise and fall of his chest as his body fought to keep him alive. It was a futile effort; the blood that coated his clothes and his face concealed mortal wounds that I did not want to think about.

"Come on," I heard Shigeru say quietly, followed by the sound of multiple pairs of footstep receding. "Let's give her some space."

I didn't say anything, just lifted my head from my hands to look at my friend. We had barely been reunited for hours and now it was all coming crumbling down. I didn't even want to think about Lemon; he was probably dead as well.

My lip quivered as I leaned down, resting my hand on the side of his neck. His pulse was weak, but it was there, throbbing at a painstakingly slow pace, leaving me to contemplate whether to was real or just a figment of my imagination.

"Tang?" I didn't wait for a response, knowing I would not receive one. I just didn't quite know how to proceed. "I know you can't hear me, but..." I took a shaky breath, closing my eyes as the waterworks continued to flow. "I just want you to know that I forgive you." My hand slid from his neck to his face, where it rested gently on his jaw. "I forgive you."