The Thirteenth Match

[realitymods]

Characters: Cally, Ai, Spectators
Location: The Coliseum.
Time: Two days after the last fights.
Summary: The thirteenth of the death matches.
Warnings: Character death warning

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[asmallamoroso]

She stood there as if this was just like any other day. Hands resting in the pockets of her jeans, the blue turtle-neck sweater matching her sneakers. Based on appearances alone she maintained the childish-look and carried no visible weapons. All that she had within her possession was a very small tin she clutched tightly in her right pocket. Inside rattled a single pill that she planned on taking-- a modified version of the APTX 4869 that would guarantee the original function it was initially intended for.

Her expression was as calm as ever even if her own thoughts were a whirlwind in it of itself. Depending on how this would end, Haibara had the suspicion that her safety measures she secured back home were necessary. One could never be too careful when it came to the prospect of death knocking at your door. An idea the girl was far too familiar with. And for someone who spent her life, now, running and hiding from her past, she managed to find the will power needed to face her future head on in this one brief moment.

I'll come back, she reminded herself as she gripped the tin again. This isn't running away. I couldn't allow Kudo to risk himself against Vermouth so this is entire situation is out of the question. Granted she had really had no grand delusions of justice or even any desire to get involved in matters like this. It didn't sit well with her already guilty conscious though to have someone die in order for her to live.

Closing her eyes, Haibara could picture Akemi's face from the last time they spoke before the last of Shiho Miyano's life was stolen from her. Maybe I'll be able to see you, onee-san.

A twitch of a smile lasted for just barely a second before she opened her eyes again to face the other woman.

"I had said before that you won't have to make a decision about this match and I intend to keep my word."

[lovethepossum]

For the first few minutes Cally had simply shaded her eyes - she had spared a brief smile at Haibara, just to be polite about all of this, but mainly she’d been watching up high above; watching the fight between Weber, if that was truly his name, and the other man. Her face hadn’t changed much, but she had been watching them intently; watching their fight play out.

She winces as the other man’s head comes off, the only concession to emotion that she’ll actually make upon this day, presses her hand to her heart in a mild prayer for his soul and then, finally, turns back to her opponent - a wry smile lifting the edge of her lips, but only just. “Well, at least they’re sorry - we have to take what we can get at the moment.”

Which isn’t much - she might come back; but she’s not quite sure how she feels about that. How it’d feel to, technically, be the zombie this time instead of the one in power.

She wonders if she’ll have tales to tell to the other necromancers after this, she wonders if she’ll get a new lease of life after this, she wonders if her questions don’t matter and she’ll just get eaten by The Goddess anyway… And, above all, she wonders if those she’s leaving behind will be alright.

Actually, she more hopes that they’ll be alright - perhaps she won’t mind being a technical zombie so much if she gets to see them again; River, Tuomas, Satoshi, Sophia… No, no - best not to think on that. She can resist emotion; she’s a necromancer - it’s in her blood.

There’s no point in thinking about it; it’s entirely out of her hands.

So instead she sets her shoulders high; and gives Haibara a faintly regretful smile. “But what if I’ve already made my decision?”

The sword that she stole, or borrowed - the terminology doesn’t really seem to matter at the moment, lies hidden in her skirts; blade razor sharp.

[asmallamoroso]

"What do you have to gain by killing yourself?" was all the child asked. For one so small she was already carrying a great weight on her shoulders.

[lovethepossum]

"What does anybody have to gain by committing suicide?" Cally shrugs, looking quite oddly calm for the situation - her hands still shifting around the sword; getting it into a rough sort of position. "But I figure, at least in this case, that way I won't have to kill you and you won't have to kill me."

[asmallamoroso]

Pulling the small tin from her pocket she holds it up, carefully opening it up to reveal the single pill inside. "Will you be leaving your friends behind by killing yourself?"

[lovethepossum]

"Yes," but Cally is already raising her sword; already positioning it right over her heart - it'll require quite a strong push but hey, she's always been stronger than she looks. "But you must be leaving your friends too, and that's worse."

She stares at the pill with her forehead wrinkled... But she certainy hasn't figured it out; pills aren't so common in her world.

[asmallamoroso]

"Hardly. I don't have any friends to leave behind."

It was a lie she was only half-convinced of though. But it was one she was teaching herself to believe should that day ever really come. Far too often had she felt their presence. Too many times did she dream of Gin or Vermouth finding her and executing her. At least with Vermouth she could bargain to spare the lives of others-- it was Gin that she had to teach herself this lie.

Plucking the pill from the tin she didn't even blink as she popped it into her mouth. Calculations from the previous experiments that she could remember from old data told her that she had seven seconds before it would take effect the moment she swallowed.

"You really shouldn't believe everything you see," Ai stated before swallowing the pill dry.

[lovethepossum]

"That's where you're wrong," Cally's smile is still ever so resigned, ever so gentle - she refuses to go into this kicking and screaming; that's make it worse. "Everybody has somebody who'd miss them - everybody has somebody who'd care, it's a fact of life."

She blinks at the pill swallowing, narrows her eyes in thought for a moment at what exactly that pill will do... But then dismisses it; the point of the blade is already over her heart and she's too busy silently saying goodbye to actually care that much.

It's scary, terrifying actually, but it's better than she thought it'd be.

[asmallamoroso]

"--!"

When she opened her mouth to respond, instead of the words she was aiming to speak in response, out came a painful sounding cough. Her hand flew to her throat as the familiar fiery sensation over-took her body. The deafening sound of he heart beating filled her ears when Haibara clutched at her heart, her every bone in her body aching as if they were being crushed from within.

Unable to stand the child fell to her knees, hunched over with only her hands for support to keep her from collapsing onto the ground, coughing violently. Already her vision was blurring and specks of blood could be seen on the coliseum floor.

[lovethepossum]

Unfortunately Cally had already pushed the sword in before she saw the effects of the pill; it was just a pity that both of them were so stubborn about matters.

She stands for a moment; her eyes wide and faintly shocked, her mouth working the air as the blood spreads across the front of the dress... And then she slumps, there's no other way to describe it. It isn't graceful, it is particularly dramatic - it's just a slow fall into the dirt with crumpled skirts.

"Wh- wha-" she tries to ask of Haibara, tries to ask with her nails clawing marks in the dirt... But no, it's far too late and far too painful for speech; no matter how hard she tries she can't force herself to make the effort.

She's already dying; there seems little point.

[asmallamoroso]

The beating of her heart seemed to amplify through-out her body; When it beat, it sent a painful pulse through every nerve in her system. She could no longer hear Cally as her wrists gave and her body hit the ground.

"A-aaah!"

Fingers were now digging into her shirt over her heart while the child struggled to breath in between the cries. Coherent thoughts were replaced with frantic ones, desperate to cling to something in order to the ignore the pain, anything at all. Just something long enough to last the remaining moments of the poison before it would finally end.

Flinching as she gasped and tried to swallow another cry, she forced herself to open one eye only to see the other woman clawing at the ground.

"--I--idiot!"