Lullaby of a Hero

The Final Word

Anna stood still as the man stiffened and turned, furious that Saiko shot him in the shoulder, forcing him to drop Tia. Before Anna could move, the two readied their guns again, and they both fired at the same time. The man went down in a headshot after that, fall to the floor. It was soon clear why, as blood poured from his head into the wooden floor. Looking over, she saw Saiko's gun smoke slightly as she lowered it.

"You... shot your own man."

"They... they switched to actual bullets... oh god... Against my wishes." The gun slipped out of her hand, clacking to the floor. However, Anna, not caring for Saiko's condition, went over and freed Tia as quickly as possible. She rubbed her wrists as the handcuffs came off, broken by the ravenette's strength.

Once satisfied that her friend was safe, she turned back to Saiko, putting herself between the blonde and her mother. She waited to hear any explanation... and her life donor did answer, wobbling slightly, her footing unsteady. The woman was wearing high heels. "I... have been thinking. Since you crashed all of us here..." She paused, shaking her head slightly, "Even if I bring you back, I will just lose you again. You have a quirk they are looking for. And even the publicity of your birthright would not protect you... this is the best... outcome."

It was then that she collapsed, gripping onto the table for support. It was then that it was clear why: she had taken a bullet to a vital area. And it was bleeding far beyond the point of recovery.

"Momo, I have no right to ask you anything... but... can you bring me outside?"

Anna looked to Tia, who nodded solemnly, as if saying, give the dying woman a chance.

So, she dropped the ax and hatchet to the ground, and went to her right side, hoisting her up, carrying her outside. Away from the mayhem and chaos, towards the untouched side, where they could view the calm forest. Laying her against the stump, Saiko bared her teeth in pain before saying, "Thank you..." She looked up, snow starting to fall down as the sky became covered in clouds. "I always had this appreciation for beauty. Art. Music. When... I heard your voice sing... it was, truly, beautiful." Anna knelt down to hear what she was saying, as her voice was too weak. "As I sit here... I see... beauty..." She turned away from the forest, looking towards her daughter. "Can... can I see you without your mask, please?"
The girl nodded, and lifted it off of her face. Reaching with her left hand, she carefully cupped her daughter's cheek. "Beautiful... Momo... well, I guess I lost Momo long ago... Anna... you are beautiful... just stay true to yourself, like I couldn't..." Her eyes were growing heavy now. "Just live your life. But be ready for whatever the master may try to do."

Anna didn't say anything, mainly because she didn't know what to say. So, she just gripped her hand, making sure it was able to remain, even when she couldn't hold it up herself.

"That woman... Anya... she raised you well. Better than I could have." Her breathing became even more ragged as more blood stained the ground. It was clear that she was soon not going to have enough oxygen due to blood loss. "I'm... Sorry... I... I love you, Anna." It was then that she exhaled her last breath, and her body slumped back. Her heart stopped pumping after a moment, as her skin grew cold to the touch. Anna carefully put her hand down, and placed her mask on top of the stump.

Tia walked over, shivering and rubbing her arms to keep them warm the snowfall continued. She saw that her mistress was dead, and asked, "What... what will we do now?"

"Now... we survive. Winter is not far off. We must prepare." She looked to the sky, noticing a drone. But it would not cause any problems. Not yet. So she turned and went back to the house, to see what needed to be done, and to prepare to hunt. All the while, humming her lullaby...