Entertaining a Small Thought

5th Arc Part 12: Rin Wakuri

Birthday post! This was a really hard chapter to write, and it might be the hardest I've written so far, so I hope you enjoy it!

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"W-What...? Wh-What just..." Rin muttered as he stared at the scene in front of him. His breathing quickened as he looked down at his hands, praying that his vision would suddenly clear up and change. This couldn't be real.

But nothing changed. Nothing could remove the neon pink blood covering his hands. There was so, so, so much blood. It was as though his hands would forever be stained with the sickly substance for the rest of his life.

In a manner of speaking, it would be.

"W-W-Why...?" Rin finally managed to ask as he looked down with pleading, desperate eyes. "Why...did you do this!? Why did you make me do this!?"

He screamed at the girl lying at his feet, bleeding out with a weak smile on her face. She knew what was happening, and she wasn't scared. She wasn't sad. No...she was proud. Proud and so happy, much more than one would think for a dying victim.

"Good. It's...better this way." She muttered as she forced a smile before having to cough up some more blood.

"Shut up!" Rin shouted as he held the girl's body and did his best to stop the bleeding. "Damn it! DAMN IT! Why won't it stop!? How deep is the wound? This...this can't be how it ends...!"

"'Fraid it is, Rinny." The girl weakly replied as she slowly raised a bloodied hand and poked Rin's cheek. "Got you real good, didn't I? Sorry 'bout that. I couldn't exactly ask you for help like I usually do. Kinda had to trick you."

"I don't want to hear your excuses! You're such an idiot, Yuna!" Rin screamed in a hoarse voice. "You planned all of this, didn't you? You...wanted me to kill you like this?"

"Y-Yeah...I did." Yuna nodded. "I...can't...deny that. You fell for my scheme. Hook, line, and sinker. You're...still such a dummy."

"But I still don't understand... Why would you do this? Why make me...the one who killed you?"

"Why...? It should be obvious, right?" Yuna smiled as she held her hand against Rin's face as her eyes pierced through his with, somehow, shining hope. "I want you to live."

"...What?" Rin let out a small whimper of disbelief and denial. No...he wasn't hearing what he thought he was hearing.

"Rinny...Oh. I'm sorry. You never liked that nickname." Yuna chuckled before having to cough once again, this bout lasting much longer and being much more painful. Once she was finally done, more blood was leaking out of her mouth before her smile returned as though nothing happened. "I want you to live. That's all."

"No...no no no no no no no no no..." Rin found himself muttering as his body shook and paled. "That...that can't be right...! There's no reason to throw away your own life just me!"

"There was. You know that." Yuna muttered as hate finally appeared on her face. "This killing game... It was going to take you eventually."

"Y-You...don't know that! We've survived this so far, haven't we? We've lost a lot of people, but we can still escape! We could have still won! We could have beaten that gas-mask-wearing, Ultimate hating freak! You, me, Ayumu, Hibiki, Koharu, and Shinsuke. We could have stuck it out and gotten out of this hell! We fought tooth and nail for that! So why–?"

"Because you've...made yourself a target. You might be...a dummy, but you're sometimes...too smart for your own good. Too talented, even if you hate that talent." Yuna chuckled. "Someone was going to take you out eventually. Either...one of the others after the next motive appeared, or the one...running things. Villains hate heroes. I...tried to warn you, but you never listened."