Showered with Imperfection (One Piece Fanfic)

VII: Sibling Bonds

VII: Sibling Bonds

 

 

 

 

 

Bang.

     The bullet shot forward, progressing a great distance in the blink of an eye. The bullet penetrates a hollow and fit through the heart, enervating Lucia's life quickly. Megumareta beamed from above, an inhumane smile. Lucia coughed out blood, his soon-to-be-corpse slumped against the reddish wall lit by torches.

             "Luci, you frittered a myriad of my bullets . . . ." Megumareta muttered. Lucia gave out another cough. "T-ten bullets---" a cough delayed his sentence, "---is barely---"

  "Oh, shush Luci. You're about to join your army in this morgue I made. Why not take it easy . . ." her twisted smile grew wider, ". . . and go to sleep . . . ?" Lucia usually wouldn't be saturated with uneasiness by someone mouthing that phrase, but this time, he was dying fast. And the way she said it like the silky voice of a ghost, and those eyes fraught with craziness.

              "G-go to sleep . . . ?" he echoed. Megumareta's smile became insaner, but said nothing. As Lucia's vision became blurred by the second, death became closer.

   "Now die." That was the last thing he heard from her, before a bombing gunshot and its agonizing pain shot him. Megumareta scowled before his death ate him up. "Tch, what a waste of bullets. And to think I spent the last one to quicken his death. Such an impatient fool I am," she glanced at her bandolier hidden behind her cloak. "Three shots left."

 

>< >< ><

 

Maru stared at the lush maze, roofed with glass. His eyes twitched, before groaning in irritation. Mit rolled his eyes, hidden behind a black wooden mask. "Yeah, a maze really vexes the hell out of you," he scoffed. "We don't have to walk around all day, you know." After he said this, Maru immediately regain hope. "Really?!"

               "Yes, really. Now shut up and walk." Maru's hopes were crushed, as he collapsed to the lush ground. "Dramatic idiot." He swaggered forward, leaving his brother behind. Scrolling through the maze, there were many different trees, none of them segmented into their own group. Red zelkovas, hackberry trees, champaks and others. It wasn't only trees---there were various plants. From acanthuses to jonquils, echinaceas and marigolds, and even lotuses. 

          "Whoever made this garden is damn messy," he critiqued. He paused and contemplate at the rows of greenery, small buds germinating. "I must say though, there is quite a plethora of vegetation."

         For a moment, he was in the lost malady of reverie, gazing at the beauteous scene, enamored with it. And then he realized something. Something is not right. There should be the stirring of birds among the leaves. This "garden" was misshapen. Gradually, the scene began to fade, turning into a monochrome world. Pale fingers crawling out of green leaves, trembling and reaching for him. The vivid scene shifted in his mind, now invaded with phantoms, sweeping and engulfing his brain with hallucination. He saw crows---sitting on the thin branch of a champak, calling out its peculiar cry. He could hear cries, muffled by the distance. His heart was accelerating at the abrupt change, sweat plastered against his neck. He saw phantoms, wicked smiles on their transparent form, whispering sweetly into his ears, urging him to submit to insanity. He glanced down at his hands, to see that they were white enough to rival Snow White. The placid shadows stared at him, angry glowers on their face. They approached him, snarled, and lunged forward, passing right through him. They were so unreal, yet he almost believed them. At that point, the world was inescapable. He could only watch. Watch as the depraved spirits giggle, toying with him while he stood helplessly.