Owen Changes His Mind

12. Rasbi's Revenge 3/3

Author's Note: Chapter 12 is all one scene. Unlike chapter 8, there are natural pauses in the scene, so that is how it will be split and uploaded here.

Rasbi spun around in her tiny secret home, spreading her arms out. "Here it is. Just a place to lay low, to stay safe." It wasn't her most secret place, but Apo didn't need to know that.

"Wow," Apo murmured, looking around. "You got digs."

Rasbi chuckled. "Yeah, people like us gotta have contingency plans."

"People like us?"

"Yeah. You know, demons. Half demons. I don't think Krow thinks much of us."

"Who cares what Krow thinks? It's just one person,"

"I could say the same about Owen," Rasbi grimaced, realizing she'd broken her vow to herself to strike his name.

Apo turned to stare at Rasbi. They didn't say anything. She was unnerved. It wasn't her fault Owen deserved death, and that she was the best candidate to carry it out. It wasn't her fault no one else seemed to want to commit to the punishment he deserved.

"He deserves to die, Apo."

"He can change."

"But will he? Really? And how do we know it's not just an act, made up to lure us into trusting him?"

"...I think I should go."

"Apo, no, wait. Apo, wait! Can't you understand what it's like? My sister, my whole world, is dead because of that- that human. The only reason I'm here is to kill him. That's it. That's the only reason." Rasbi slid between Apo and the door, pleading. "We used to be friends, once. Before Owen told me you lied to me. He's the one who lied. He broke us apart. Apo," Rasbi's voice broke as Apo turned away from her, staring at the countertop. "Why can't you help me? It's justice."

"It's revenge. I won't kill another human. It's a cycle of revenge, Rasbi. I won't be a part of it. Even for Owen. Even for you."

Rasbi stared at the hunched figure in front of her. When had they become so timid? When had they become so conscientious?

"Can I go now?" Apo asked, avoiding Rasbi's eyes. They had dark circles under their eyes. They looked miserable, biting their lip and hunching their shoulders, turning away from her.

Rasbi tried to speak, to say anything convincing. Her words got tangled in her throat. Finally, she stepped aside, gesturing out to the forest. Apo slipped by her, and in a moment, they were gone. Rasbi turned towards the door to watch them leave, but Apo was nowhere to be found. "Why does it feel like I'll never see them again?" she asked aloud.

Then Rasbi started thinking about what Apo had said. She realized something. Apo hadn't said Owen didn't deserve death. What they had said was something more subtle. Something like, Apo didn't deserve to become a killer just because Owen deserved to die. Rasbi repeated that to herself. "Apo doesn't deserve to be a killer just because Owen deserves to die." Rasbi's eyes widened. Finally, she understood. "And neither do I."

Rasbi leapt up to the treetops. She faced Guts' house. It felt good to be on the treetops, looking down. From her perch, Rasbi pretended Owen could hear her. "You are beneath me. Your violence is beneath me. My sister wouldn't want blood on my hands."

Rasbi knew if Owen tried to kill her, she wouldn't hesitate. But he was in prison, hopefully forever. And Rasbi didn't deserve to become a killer. Rasbi deserved to get out.

"I'm sorry," she apologized to the people she'd promised Owen's death to. "I don't deserve this."