Cold Blooded

Gisei

 Gisei woke the next morning with a splitting headache and a rolling stomach. No one had cared enough about him to move him from his place in the snow and now his clothes were soaked through. Gisei pulled himself to his feet with the aid of a thin tree and immediately threw up into the snow. He grabbed at his head and groaned. It felt like his mind was splintering into a million pieces.

What happened again last night? Oh, yeah, those idiots... Gisei looked over towards the camp. Everyone was still passed out around the smoldering remains of the fire, their canteens emptied and thrown about.

Gisei shook his head with disgust and turned back out towards the mountain pass. The targets should be making their way through here today if they hadn't already gone through last night. Gisei would hate to fail a mission. He never had before and didn't plan on starting today.

Out in the distance, Gisei spotted some movement in the cavern across the mountain pass. More memories from the night before rushed at him as he realized that what he thought was a drunken illusion was very, very real.

Saya stepped out into the light and reached up to stretch out her back. She turned back towards the cavern and beckoned for someone to follow her, but Gisei didn't stop to see who.

He spun around and rushed towards his bags. He tripped over his unsteady feet and gripped his rifle. His head was pounding, but he still looked over his sleeping companions and took aim.

Maybe his judgment was still clouded from the night before, but he knew he couldn't let these monsters touch Saya. All of this, he had done to keep her safe. He had killed old friends and strangers just to protect her. What were a few more bodies?

Gisei took a slow breath and fired his first shot. Durak shuddered as the bullet shot right through his fat head and then his giant limbs fell slack beside him. Ummer was next. Gisei turned towards the cocky man and lined up his sights. Another bullet through the muzzle of the gun and into a man's head. Gisei turned to take aim at Solpi only to hear a gun's safety unlock right by his head.

"Give me one good reason that I shouldn't shoot out your brains right this second."

-<>-

Saya jumped when she heard the first shot. Ajax looked at her and with just a nod he swooped Chongyun into his arms. Saya grabbed the bags and started off without a look over her shoulder.

A second gunshot. Chongyun covered his ears with his small hands and Saya started to run faster. Ajax was right besides her.

"Saya!" A voice echoed through the mountain pass and Saya couldn't take another step. She slowly turned around, fear, disbelief, and a fragile hope all knotted up within her. There he was. Gisei.

He was running towards her, his hand clenching his shoulder. He was bleeding. Saya began to run to him despite Ajax calling out to her. She ran towards him and he ran towards her.

For that moment, Saya saw the Gisei that she had known all her life again. This was the Gisei that liked climbing trees and taking pictures with his busted, old kamera. This was the Gisei that had been her friend when they were in Kondou Village, even when everyone else saw her as a mistake. This was the Gisei that had been there when Saya's vision had appeared. This was the Gisei that wasn't broken by the world. This was the Gisei that Saya loved.

Bang!

Gisei froze in his tracks. He didn't take another step. His hands fell to his sides and he fell into the snow with a thud. Behind him stood a small, thin man in the same uniform as Gisei. He held a gun in his hands. A gun pointed at Gisei's fallen body.

"No!" A hoarse, rough cry ripped out of Saya's throat. Tears were coming in fast and blurred her vision. Before she knew what was happening, she was on top of Gisei's attacker in the snow. She pulled out a dagger from inside her coat and began to slice into the man.

"No, no, no, no." She stabbed the man again and again with each cry. "No!"

"Saya..." Ajax was suddenly besides her. He placed his hand on Saya's shoulder, but she shoved him off.

Saya pulled Gisei's body closer and brushed her hand along the side of his face. He was still smiling. It was the same weak smile as when Saya had left their lunch in the tree grove once the rain had begun to fall. He would then turn to her and crack a joke that only the two of them would understand. Saya held Gisei's body closer, wishing she could hear his voice one last time. She slowly rocked herself with Gisei in her arms as tears fell down her face in torrents.

"Miss Saya?" Chongyun placed his small hand on Saya's shoulder.

"Not now, Chongyun." Saya hissed through her teeth. "Just leave me alone."

"Miss Saya, was he your friend?" Chongyun whispered the words and sat down beside Saya.

"He was- He was my best friend since forever." Saya whispered, her voice cracking.

"That's a really good friend." Chongyun leaned a bit closer to Saya. "You're lucky to have a true friend. Someone that means so much to you. I think- I think you meant that much to him too."

Saya didn't say anything. She looked at Gisei's body that was growing cold far too fast. Then she looked at Chongyun. She didn't know why, but the small boy's words put the smallest strength into her bones.

"A- Ajax..." Saya looked up towards the harbinger. "Do you think... Could you help me dig him a grave?"

"Of course, Saya,"

Saya carefully laid Gisei in the snow and moved over to a small patch of snow beside a tall, thin tree. She cut into the frozen earth with everything she had in her. She slashed at it even as her tears blurred her vision and made her head hurt. Every regretful and happy moment she had ever had with Gisei, she poured into digging deeper. She threw out her knife when it grew dull and attacked the ground with her hands instead. She screamed and yelled as she tunneled deeper, releasing all that she had. She was bursting with too much and so she poured it all out into digging.

"Saya..." Ajax's voice was soft, his hand on her shoulder was kind and comforting. "This is deep enough."

Saya nodded and looked back over to Gisei. She carefully lifted him into her arms and laid him down in the pit. She cried as each handful of dirt covered his body and she cried when he was completely gone. The patch of dirt stuck out like a sore thumb in the world of white, but the snow would come again and this spot would be forgotten.

Saya couldn't have that. She searched through the snow until she found a large enough stone before searching her pockets for a new dagger. She slowly carved in four words into the stone before placing it at the head of the grave.

"Gisei, a true friend."