Regrets and Blades
“ Slow down, Rin!” a familiar voice shouted. Rin turned her head, a grin on her face as the other panted to keep up. Her pink hair shone in the sunlight, beads of sweat on her forehead rendering her pink hair slightly damp as she tried to catch up. Rin only smiled as she turned, running ahead with full speed.
At long last, they collapsed on the grass in exhaustion. Rin turned to her, with the other giving her a faint grin. Rin had always loved that familiar grin. It was a symbol of who they were. And a testimony of their friendship.
Rin never expected that grin to be the last thing she would see of her.
It had been a simple task. Find a council member, ambush them and kill all their guards. Sounds easy enough, right?
Not when the target was your schoolmate.
Long-time friend.
Lover
Rin could feel bile rising from her throat, but nothing came out. And when the king ordered her to carry it out, she said nothing as she bowed and left his chambers.
She collapsed soon after in her chambers when she returned.
She picked up her picture of her. It was taken during their school days, when they could play together in the sun, laughing without a care in the world.
Her smile was beautiful, and had always been.
Rin’s hand trembled.
Why, though?
It was just a normal mission.
Ambush a council member. Kill said council member.
Yet why couldn’t she stop the tears spilling from her eyes?
She trembled and whimpered.
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The night of the ambush, she had memorised their route. After all, things like this are easy when you have a mole.
She waited.
And waited.
Until she saw bubblegum-pink hair.
Rin’s eyes widened.
It had been years since they had seen each other, but Rin could instantly recognise her.
Her cat-like eyes.
Her delicate fingers.
Her small grin.
Rin’s heart ached as she took in all of Luka, before she stepped into the carriage, and Rin was reminded of her mission.
Right.
Her mission…
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Rin watched the blood spill out as she decapitated her opponent’s heads.
What fools, she thought.
With that level of elementary skill, you can’t protect anyone.
Especially someone as great as her.
Luka…
Her thoughts were cut off as 2 guards came out of the carriage. The minute they saw her, they rushed forward, blades sharp. Rin easily dodged their blows, dealing her own as well. Out of the corner of her eye, she found one of them preparing a fire spell.
Can’t have that happening, she thought as she casted one herself, said spell forming a barrier that prevents magic from being cast. Her opponent clicked her tongue, before resuming their fight.
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As her defeated opponent lay before her, Rin stared. She stared at how the guard’s eyes blazed with anger, as she clutched her open wound, sneaking glances at her fellow guard’s head.
Suddenly, Rin heard the carriage door open, as her opponent started saying the words, “Run-” before Rin dealt the finishing blow. She turned, and saw that pink hair again, with her hand outstretched, attempting to cast a spell to no avail, thanks to the barrier Rin placed.
With no other option left, she ran. She must’ve been very panicked, to not recognise Rin.
With a sigh, Rin walked in her direction, a heavy feeling in her heart.
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Rin watched as she approached a flower field, in the direction where she had run. The flowers truly were pretty, as Rin hid in the forest, taking note of her as she ran there, panting. Rin took in her appearance, how each strand framed her face perfectly, how sweat rolled down her cheeks, similar to how it did when they were playing together.
Together…
A memory of the past...
Rin could feel her tongue as she slipped her’s in, their lips connecting-
Rin sighed as she stood up, grimacing and preparing for the final confrontation.
Final…
Rin got up, and in a flash teleported behind her, blade in hand. She must’ve been alerted of it from the metallic smell of blood, because she ducked, Rin’s blade only slicing the end strands of her hair. Rin saw her panicked look, and thought,
even panicked, she’s still so beautiful…
She held her hand out, preparing a spell, mana crackling at her fingertips, they were beyond the mana barrier Rin had set already, allowing her to cast spells. However, mid-casting, she froze. Rin noticed her cloak had let out some of her hair, the bright-yellow accents shining brightly in the moonlight. There was a brief moment of silence, as Rin, with a pained expression, held her blade up. She exhaled, and performed her signature lightning fast move. Her technique allowed her to run at the speed of light, and perform actions swifty, and with one swift motion, chopped her arm off.
Rin instantly felt regret as her face paled with the loss of her arm. She staggered back, as Rin squeezed her eyes shut and stabbed her in the back, more blood staining her blade and face as she pulled the blade out.
She fell back with a gasp, blood staining the pure white flowers. Blood dripped down her mouth, her pink hair spread across the flower field, and Rin hated what she though.
Beautiful.
She was always beautiful.
Even as she lays there, dying.
Rin’s hood was pulled up from the light wind as they both looked at each other, overcomed with memories, before Rin picked her blade up, preparing the final blow. The expression she gave meeting her doom made Rin want to cry.
It was a solemn smile, one that spoke “don’t cry, it’ll be ok” without words.
Rin couldn’t stop the tears spilling out as she cut Luka’s head.
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Rin walked through the square in disguise in the Light Kingdom, prepared to meet their informant in the silence of the night. As she approached the destination, she looked up, and froze.
There was Luka, her head perched on top of a roof. Her pink hair had faded to a dull, without its usual shine, her face pale and grey, eyes closed. No one in the town had seen it yet, for it was nighttime. Silently, Rin climbed onto the roof, and was met with the eyes of one of her fellow comrades, gesturing a “no” while pointing to the head. Rin got the signal that nothing she said can make him remove the head, and instead, while he wasn’t looking, she took some white flowers from her jacket, and quietly placed them at Luka’s ear. Rin looked longingly at her head, before jumping off the roof.
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Rin returned from her meeting with the informant, a quiet expression on her face as she went to bed…
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“NOOO! Luka!!” Rin screamed as she ran towards her, tears in her eyes. Luka smiled softly, before croaking out a whisper of a response, “I’m… so….r..ry…” as the ground below them collapsed, and Rin fell, while Luka’s body disintegrated, leaving just her head falling down, her empty eyes staring holes in Rin’s-
“AHHH!” Rin shouted with a gasp, gasping for air. She got out of bed and started walking circles, before she
Collapsed.
Choking back a sob, she hugged her knees towards her, and all her memories started flooding back, along with her tears.
Luka’s smile.
Her laughter during their school days.
How she would flirt mindlessly with Rin.
How her tongue would swirl around Rin’s during their kiss.
Them drifting apart due to the war.
Her great discoveries of Medical Magic.
Luka being on the hit list.
Her panicked face as all her guards were slain.
Her exhausted face at the flower field.
Her pale face at her severed arm.
Her look of kindness when she realised who was going to kill her.
Her head on display at the town square.
Her eyes in Rin’s dream.
Rin felt sick.
She barely made it to the bathroom before she vomited.