Remember. Smile. [Hunter x Hunter FF]

Errememba

The woman in her lap flinched at the sudden volume. "He could be a king, a god, Aten's messenger... I don't care!" She took a shaky breath, growing increasingly agitated. "This chance was prophesied for centuries by our clan... you were the prophesied one, you were the chosen one! ... and! a-and... you were..."

The little girl inhaled shakily, looking down at the floor, " ..You were...you are...my sister..." Her last words were no louder than a whisper, but the woman heard her clearly.

The woman returned the little girl's gaze, her own breath shaky, each inhalation a reminder of the sharp pains in her ribs. "..Ko... you should leave," she said, changing the subject.

The little girl looked at the woman, confused, "...His majesty may come...I don't know of his plans anymore...you...you should go..." she explained, followed by a bloody chain of coughs.

"Huh.." She mused weakly, "I've had a huge hole in my stomach, and we just had a full-fledged conversation. Pretty strong, ain't I." She said, and winked, trying to brighten the mood.

"Yea," the girl agreed, her voice filled with admiration. "You've always been strong, Kare... you've always been... the strongest..." Her voice trailed off. "You were strong enough to kill him. So... why... why didn't you?"

The woman remained silent, her thoughts weighed down by the unspoken truth.

The girl restrained her frustration, her voice carrying a tinge of resignation. She gazed at her sister, who was now struggling to stay conscious. "It's because of that unwavering loyalty of yours," she murmured softly. "You wouldn't let go of it, even when your life was at stake."

The woman's eyes flickered, and she managed a faint smile. "Our clan... our family... they needed someone to believe in, someone to uphold our values," she rasped, her words punctuated by labored breaths.

Tears welled up in the little girl's eyes as she leaned closer, her voice barely above a whisper. "But, Kare, you're important to me too," she choked out, "I can't bear to lose you like this."

"Why?" The question escaped her lips as a tortured sob, and then it erupted into a relentless torrent of hysteria. Her voice cracked and trembled, each "Why" more desperate and gut-wrenching than the last. Her breaths came in ragged gasps as she spiraled into a frenzy, repeating the word like a broken record. "Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?"

The woman remained silent for a moment before she finally spoke, her voice barely more than a whisper. "A-"

"Aten's Will," the girl finished for her, her voice tinged with bitterness, "Aten's Will this, Aten's Will that. Don't you have a will of your own?" Her words hung in the air, heavy with frustration.

The woman managed a fragile smile, her bloodied hand trembling as she gently cupped her sister's cheek, "You're not goin' to send 'yer sister off screamin', are you?"

"Then at least call me Onee-chan for these last few moments," she earnestly requested, her voice quivering with emotion. "Pretty please?"

The girl sniffled, her lip quivering, and then she looked down, almost afraid of the words about to escape her mouth, "Kare...Onee-chan... are you really going to...y'know..."

he woman's vision grew blurrier by the second, her surroundings reduced to indistinct blobs of color and the worried expression on her sister's face.

"Hey...Ko..smile for me, kay?"

"Onee-Chan, that's your thing." The girl responded while a small exasperated simper made its way on her lips.

The woman let out a hoarse chuckle. "Well.. There ain't gonna be no me left in this world. Why don't ya take over for me, kay?" and she let out one of those rare genuine smiles of hers.