Yuki noticed the official come out a steel door in the middle of the arena. That’s where they were going. She walked towards it, acting like any soldier would. Yuki knew any high-ranked follower or torture camp worker would recognize her, so she put her hair up and tucked it under her hood. It would have to be enough.
"You ready?" Rowan whispered, now walking beside Yuki. She took in the arena one last time, watching the cheering soldiers and wondering how so many people could find amusement out of something so wretched. Everyone here was broken. The only way she could fix this was at the source.
“Always been ready. You?”, Yuki responded. A soldier walked out the door and Yuki caught it. The metal felt cold in her hands and the door was thick. Meant to keep people out. She walked inside to find a dim lit hallway.
"Y-Yeah…" Rowan wasn't ready. She wasn't ready to loose her best friend. She wasn't ready to die. She wasn't ready to talk to the cruelest woman in the world. She wasn't ready to imagine the looks on her parents faces when they heard what happened. "Let's do this." She trailed after Yuki, steeling her nerves.
Yuki walked through the hallway looking for the most heavily guarded door and watching where the soldiers went and came. She felt alive and living, knowing as well that she wouldn’t be much longer. It gave her a sense of peace to know she would be somewhere else soon. Anywhere but the Smoke Society and it’s evil. There was still a little voice in her head that told her not to quit. The voice had always been there, but it was quiet compared to the longing for the pain and sadness and most of all, the memories to be gone. She was chained to those memories and what they brought.
Rowan's heart was pounding so loud she could hear it. She grabbed weakly onto Yuki's hand for comfort. She wanted nothing more than to run away like a coward. Maybe her and Yuki could form some kind of business. They could dye hair! And they'd open up a little rebel shop and get all the best colors. They wouldn't make a lot but it'd be enough. Enough to get by. Enough to survive this war. Rowan knew she was a screw up, a mistake, a burden on the battlefield. So maybe it was better things ended this way. She'd die a hero, right? What more could anyone ask for?
Yuki silently yawned. She didn’t sleep much. Night was her only time of peace. And the nightmares were bad. Would death be like sleeping? Yuki had been told about something called Heaven. It sounded wonderful. If only she could go there, but she didn’t deserve to. Her mind ran a mile a minute. Then she saw it. The door on the very end of the hall was definitely the one. It looked like all the other doors, besides a few guards standing by it. Yuki discreetly pointed to the door to let Rowan know that was undoubtedly where they were going.
Rowan squeezed Yuki's hand as tightly as possible before nodded. This is it, this is it, this is it. She was on the verge of hyperventilating, but forced herself to focus on the concrete floor. Now or never.
They approached the door together. Yuki let go of Rowan’s hand, but gave her a reassuring smile. She nodded at the guards. “I’m bringing this trouble-maker to the President.” Just let me in! Don’t question me! The gaurds narrowed their eyes. “What’s the code?” The code? Wait… I guess I could try something.
“10974”, Yuki answered. It came almost naturally because she had heard it in camp. Without hesitation, the gaurds let them in and it surprised her.
Rowan stared up at Yuki in shock. How did she know that code? Her heart slammed against her ribs painfully. The president was in this room. Rowan took a deep breath, letting Yuki tug her forward in a show of being a tough guard. I can talk her out of this. I can do this. Or I'll die trying.
Yuki glanced one last time at Rowan’s face. It was just as shocked as she felt. She shook it off and entered the room. The door slammed behind them. Perfect. “I brought this trouble-making rebel here in hopes we can find something to do with her.”, Yuki announced to the President. Her fists clenched and anger boiled inside her at the sight of the President’s face. She couldn’t wait to rip her throat out. Or beat her to death. Heck, it didn’t matter how she killed the President, as long as it was slow and painful… like a torture camp. A psychotic smile came across her face. This was what she had been waiting for.
"Yuki?" Rowan was scared of the president, but she was terrified of the look on her friend's face. Rowan tugged lightly on her arm, trying to get Yuki's attention.
The President looked at little suspicious at first, but when Yuki pulled away, she just raised an eyebrow. “What has she done? Do we need to put her in a torture camp or is this just a mild case?” That was when Yuki knew it was time. She lunged for Harris’s walkie-talkie. The President didn’t expect that and wasn’t able to reach for it in time. Yuki threw the walkie-talkie to the ground, as well as her own. They broke into pieces as soon as they hit the ground.
“I don’t think you’ll be needing that.”
(lol)
Rowan didn't know how to help. "Yuki!" She whined again, her eyes wide and fearful. "You gotta let me talk to her. Please, Yuki."
Shock came across Harris’s face when she heard her name. “Tayio?”
“Don’t even have the respect to use my first name.”, Yuki muttered. She took off her hood and let her hair down. “You will pay for what you did to me and anyone I ever cared about!” Not even the president could hide the fear in her eyes.
Rowan was going to regret this. If she lived at least. She bolted across the room and pushed herself in between Yuki and Harris, her small body shaking with fear.
On impulse Yuki pushed Rowan aside roughly. “I’m going to pay? It was your fault for going in the torture camp. You basically broke every rule in our amazing, organized society.”, Harris said. There was a hint of shaking in her voice.
“At seven?”, Yuki challenged. “You somehow found it right to put a seven year-old in a torture camp?! Twice?!” She lunged for Harris and punched her hard in the face Yuki smiled when her face bruised immediately.
Rowan stumbled backwards, slamming into a wall. "After everything we've been through?" She questioned, knowing Yuki would ignore her. "Y-You promised we'd finish this together. This won't make you happy!" She shouted, fierce determination in her tears eyes.
“Sorry Rowan.”, Yuki said, almost painfully whispered, as she threw another punch at Harris. “Please!”, the president begged.
“Finally! I get to see the president beg for her life! The tables have turned!” Yuki took the knife from the room of weapons she put in her pocket. “Let’s have some fun with this! You can see what it’s like to be me for a change!” Harris cried out as she ran the knife along her arm.
"YUKI STOP!" Rowan wailed, horrified to see her friend act like this. "If you're gonna kill her than kill her!" She sniffled, unable to look Yuki in the eyes. The scene was grotesque and wretched. Something Rowan hadn't been prepared to witness. This wasn't being a hero! This was being a sadistic murderer!
“This is why I didn’t want you to come.”, Yuki said, without turning around. “Understand that she deserves this, for this is the treatment I got every day.” Yuki continued to stab at Harris’s shoulder.
"This isn't going to solve anything, Yuki! This… This won't take your pain away! This won't make her regret it! It's useless! Just stop! Stop it! Please!" Rowan begged.
Yuki slashed Harris’s neck. “She will regret it! I am avenging many loved ones deaths!” Harris let out a small whimper. “Had enough already? That’s what I thought too.”
"Hurting her isn't changing what she did! You know that! If she's as far gone as you say she is then pain won't help either! If you want to stop the cycle of death you have to end it with death!"