Tw! Death, Grief, Car accident, "it was my fault"
This will be the last part of my Life Eternal series. If you want different Ghouls, please tell me! (Or maybe you want the Papas too)
This is also the only one that has two parts. (You'll see why it is so long)
But I hope you'll enjoy it!
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Part 1
I sighed contentedly while Sodo and I drove down the highway together. It was a hot summer day, it was warm outside, but the air conditioning kept the car pleasantly cool. I leaned wearily against the glass and yawned.
"Babe, are you already tired?" Sodo asked and I nodded
"Yes. The heat is bothering me," I murmured, hearing him laugh.
"Babygirl, you can't be tired already. I have a lot planned for you today," he said in a rough, attractive and slow voice that made me laugh.
"Sodo, I'm getting too old and fragile for that," I said jokingly and then felt his hand on my thigh.
"Do you know when you feel old and fragile? Tomorrow when you can't walk anymore because I fucked you all night." He looked deep into my eyes and I giggled.
"You little chameur." He also had to grin and now concentrated on driving again.
After about ten minutes I heard him sigh in frustration.
"What's up?" I asked confused and he pointed in the rearview mirror.
"He's been pushing for over a quarter of an hour now. I'm starting to wonder what's wrong with him. I've already driven 160km/h, where does he want to go?" I felt Sodo's heart rate increase and put my hand on his leg to calm him down
"Hey, my little man, it's all right, he's getting better." I smiled at him reassuringly and looked in my wing mirror, where I immediately noticed that the car behind us was really almost on us. If Sodo had to brake even slightly now, he would hit us.
"Just keep driving calmly until you can switch to the middle lane" I said and he nodded. It took a little while before he finally found a gap to drive into. Sodo now relaxed significantly and so did I.
I keep the radio a little louder so it might distract him that someone had just tailed us so close. After about a quarter of an hour I heard him turn the indicator back on so he could switch to the left lane, but I saw someone coming
"Sodo, wait" I said, not knowing if he saw it.
He pulled over again because he was about to switch.
"Thanks" he smiled and waited for the car to pass before changing lanes. I looked in the side mirror again, noticing that the driver from earlier was speeding up behind us.
"Not him again!" Sodo said angrily, who had apparently just noticed him.
"Take it easy, he has to brake anyway," I said encouragingly.
"I thought he drove past us!" He complained and I shrugged.
"Apparently not" I heard him sigh before looking nervously in the mirror.
"He doesn't brake!" Sodo said in panic and wanted to pull over, but since there was another car that we were just overtaking, I stopped him.
"He'll brake! He doesn't want his car to break down either." The other came closer at breakneck speed and Sodo was literally sweating.
"River! It doesn't last! It doesn't last!" Panicked, he looked in the rearview mirror and slowly I got nervous too.
"I'm moving over now," he said when the speeder almost got to us. But I noticed that he was pulling into the left lane, so I slid the wheel back over so we stayed in the lane.
"Brake!" I yelled as the car pulled back in right in front of us and Sodo hit the brakes. Exhausted, I sank into the seat and took a deep breath as I watched the people cheering in the car in front of us, which made me roll my eyes. Such idiots. I looked at Sodo. He looked exhausted and held his head.
"All right, they must be just some teenage idiots wanting to play with their lives" he just sighed in frustration and I watched the car pull into the middle lane and slow down Was so that he drove right next to us. All four occupants of the car raised their hand and laughed and gave their middle finger before picking up the pace and continuing on.
"That's enough!" Sodo roared and I noticed how he gave gas.
"Sodo, don't you dare! You don't stoop to their level now!" I warned him, but he didn't react, just drove on and only got faster.
"Sodo! Stop!" I yelled at him but he just shook his head.
"You stubborn! Stop encouraging them too, that's what they want!" I kept trying, but the ghoul wouldn't listen to me. I held on to my seatbelt, trembling, as Sodo raced across the street and followed the others. The young people's car had to be able to do about 210 km/h, but we caught up much faster.
"Sodo please leave it, otherwise something will happen"
"The Highway is empty, what should happen apart from these idiots?" he asked and continued to race towards them. I could clearly see that they were getting nervous because they were waving their hands around.
"Sodo please" I said but realized that it was no use. We raced closer and closer and I closed my eyes because I was scared.
Suddenly Sodo hit the brakes and I opened my eyes again. We were very close to going up. I sighed anxiously as he drove past them and continued to race.
"That's what I call being in control of a car and not swerving at the last moment!" He yelled loudly and I slapped him on the shoulder
"You idiot! Did that have to be? You just provoked them and almost caused an accident!" I yelled at him.
"Nothing happened, relax" he mumbled and I just looked at him in horror.
"Relax? We almost died!" Sodo just sighed in frustration while I saw on the speedometer that we were slowing down again. In the mirror, however, I saw the idiots coming back and sighed.
"Take the next exit." I said but Sodo was about to protest.
"But-"
"RIDE THE NEXT RUN!" I yelled at him and he nodded silently.
The idiots were getting closer and seemed to be trying to do the same thing as before. Then they swerved to the left just behind us, but I saw the mistake immediately.
"BRAKE!" I screamed, but it was too late. They moved over way too early because they had miscalculated. The next moment the back of the other car hit our front and knocked us sideways.
Due to the high speed, Sodo lost control of the car and we crashed into the guardrail, which broke under the force of the impact and we flew down the hand.
Our car overturned and at some point I no longer knew where up and down was, but just felt pain all over my body. I heard screams, both my own and Sodo's, but couldn't tell them apart because I was out of control. Eventually the car stopped turning and I felt my head fall into my airbag. I couldn't move and everything hurt. I heard Sodo breathing heavily next to me and seemed to be unable to breathe. I wanted to look at him, but I couldn't raise my head.
"River? River!" I heard him scream but I couldn't answer even if I wanted to.
"Please don't be dead!" I heard him tug at the buckle on his seat belt and it didn't seem to come loose. I didn't hear exactly what he was trying to do, just noticed that at one point he slipped out the window and ran across the roof before yanking open my door. There he stood in front of me. His hair is all messy, a laceration on the side of his head, a few minor scratches and his eyes wide with shock.
"River!" I looked into his eyes. The shock was still in my limbs, but eventually I managed to find my voice
"S-sodo" I said with a trembling voice.
"I'm here, I'll get you out of there!" He moved me slowly and carefully and I groaned at every move he made as I was in so much pain.
"Sorry! I'm so sorry!" He kept saying until he was finally able to lift me out of the car by my legs and shoulders, but it was all so heavy that I just let my arms and head hang.
"It hurts so bad!" I wailed and he nodded.
"I know, love but it will get better I promise"
I felt us walk a few steps for a while before he sat down and I felt his lap and the ground beneath me.
"River, I'm so sorry," Sodo whimpered and I smiled softly.
"It's okay, it wasn't your fault." He just kept looking at me sadly.
"How bad do I look?" I asked and Sodo looked down at me.
"You look hot as always" he forced a smile onto his face but I could tell he was lying by the tears forming in his eyes and also by the fact that he looked down briefly before looking up again..
He only did that when he was nervous or shy. He definitely wasn't shy, which is why only nervousness remained and he was only that when he was lying. I looked at him with a sigh and snuggled up to him a little. We were silent for a while before I looked into his beautiful blue eyes.
"Can you sing for me?" I asked and he immediately nodded.
"What do you want to hear?" he asked and I answered immediately. This answer was not difficult for me.
"Life Eternal" I gave him in reply.
"Really?" He asked again and when I nodded, he finally started to sing. I let himself be lulled by his singing and immediately relaxed, but I also noticed that I was getting weaker. Finally he finished the song and I smiled at him.
"Thank you" he also smiled slightly but now I looked at him seriously.
"Sodo. Please be honest: I'm going to die, right?" I asked and he immediately shook his head.
"No you will not!"
"I wanted an honest Answer"
"I was honest! If the ambulance gets here any minute, they'll take you away and you'll get on with life."
"How do you know an ambulance is coming? Did you call it?" I asked and after thinking for a while he shook his head and sighed
"No I didn't. I don't even know where my phone is"
"Speaking of cell phones, do you still have that weird background that makes me look so weird?" I asked and he nodded.
"It's my favorite picture of us," he grinned crookedly. In the photo, he and I were standing back to back, arms crossed, looking back at the other. We both smiled widely, but it wasn't the prettiest picture I had of myself, so my background image was one of just our hands. I used to write our nicknames on our wrists with a pen. His arm had "Daddy" crossed out with "my little man" underneath it which was my actual nickname for him and mine had "My slut" crossed out with "Babygirl" underneath it
"You look good on that picture," he teased and I smiled weakly, feeling my adrenaline draining slowly.
"I look good in every photo" I joked and he nodded.
"Sodo, give me a kiss" I asked him and he did it immediately. The kiss was intense and gentle at the same time and almost drove me insane. As we parted, I started shaking a little.
"I'm so cold" I murmured and he pulled me closer.
"They'll be right there," Sodo said, and I shook my head.
"I can't make it." I said and he shook his head.
"No you won't! I can't lose you!"
"Don't worry about me" I smiled weakly.
"I love you"
"I love you too!" he answered immediately.
"I'll always be with you, I promise." I saw more and more tears forming in his eyes.
I felt my breathing slow down automatically. Fear overcame me because I didn't want to go. I wasn't ready yet.
"Sodo..." I said and he pulled me closer.
"I'm here. I'm here and I won't leave you!" He kept stroking me.
"Sodo, I-" I couldn't get any further because my heart stopped beating and I disappeared into the darkness.
-Sodo PoV-
"Sodo I-" she broke off and went limp in my arms. I watched in shock as the life drained from her body. Her eyes looked emotionless into the sky and there was no more tension in her body.
"River?" I asked and heard no answer. I looked up at the blue sky with the sun shining.
"River look, the sky looks so beautiful" I said pointing up but she didn't respond.
"No!" I screamed in desperation and suddenly felt so alone.
"Please do not go!" I shook her desperately, and her eyes were already starting to turn milky. I cried and held her tight and cradled her in my arms.
In the distance I heard sirens from an ambulance approaching. But it was too late, she was dead.
-Swiss PoV-
I drove as fast as I could down the freeway with Rain already holding on to everything he could. About fifteen minutes ago I got a call and was told that Sodo and River had been in an accident
"Can you please drive faster?" Rain asked anxiously but sarcastic and I looked at my speedometer.
"I'm only at 240 km/h, I can still increase it to 300," I threatened him and he immediately shook his head.
"No thank you!" I saw the flashing blue lights in the distance and started to slow down so I wouldn't endanger anyone. The police finally motioned for us to stop. I was surprised that there was no traffic jam here, because apart from a few isolated cars, nobody was standing here. Rain and I got out of the car and walked towards the police.
"Sir, you are not allowed to walk around here!" One of the policemen said.
"We are their family!" I snapped at the cop, who gestured for Rain and I to walk through. With quick, sure steps, I walked towards the line of ambulances.
"Do you think Aether and the others are coming?" The smaller ghoul asked and I shrugged.
"I have no idea. I hope so." Suddenly we stopped dead in our tracks. I watched in shock as a closed coffin was carried across the street into a hearse.
"Please don't!" I shouted and ran towards them.
"Who's in it?" I asked the two carrying the coffin and they looked at me.
"A woman with black hair and blue eyes" they said with a sad look. I stopped in horror and looked at the coffin.
"Oh no" I whispered
"Not River!" screamed Rain, hugging me. Still in shock, I wrapped my arm around him and stroked him comfortingly while River was wheeled into the car. I sighed and looked down at the floor.
"Sleep peacefully" I said sadly.
Suddenly I heard someone scream as if in agony. I recognized that voice immediately
"Sodo!" I yelled and ran towards where the scream was coming from, pulling Rain's hand with me. I finally got to the hole in the guardrail and looked down the slope. There Sodo sat huddled and screamed his heart out. I let go of Rain's hand and charged down the slope.
"What about him?" I asked and a couple of the paramedics looked at me.
"He's in shock. He's been screaming since the woman was taken away," explained one doctor
"That was his wife," I murmured, looking at Sodo who was still screaming in shock. He had blood all over his body and I could see a laceration from afar.
"Could I see him?" I asked and the doctor nodded. Just as I was about to start running, Rain grabbed my arm. I looked at him. His gaze was pained and he had tears in his eyes.
"Swiss I can't do this, can you please go to him alone?" he asked and I nodded
"Stay here and wait for Aether and the others" with that I ran to Sodo and knelt in front of him. I now saw from close up that one of his legs looked very strange. It appeared to be broken, which hopefully wouldn't get too bad.
"Sodo? It's me, Swiss" I looked at the little ghoul, but he just kept screaming.
"Sodo you're okay. I'm here, everything's fine" I grabbed his shoulders, but he immediately pushed my hands away.
"LEAVE ME! NOTHING IS OK! SHE'S DEAD!" He yelled at me and started thrashing around.
"We need to sedate him before he hurts himself any worse!" The emergency doctor called and all three doctors present came towards us, the doctor herself with a syringe in her hand.
"Sodo, calm down" I tried to calm him down when the doctor came and looked at him.
"I'll give you an injection now," she said and was about to start when Sodo's hand jerked around and snatched the syringe from her hand
"TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!" he roared and jumped up. I didn't know how he was able to stay on his leg, but he managed somehow. He hobbled as fast as he could towards the doctor and reached out with his arm to ram her somewhere. I rushed forward and just as he was about to drop his hand, I pulled him back into a clamped hold so he couldn't move his arms.
"LET ME GO!" he screamed but I just held him tighter.
"Sodo, it's me Swiss" I tried again, but he didn't react and started kicking his legs, so I had trouble holding him.
"LET ME GO YOU BASTARD!" he screamed when the doctors came back.
"Hold his legs tight!" Said the doctor and the other two held her tight. Sodo cried out in pain when one of the two grabbed his broken leg to hold him tight. It almost broke my heart.
Then the doctor finally gave him the injection and after a few seconds Sodo stopped screaming and went limp in my arms. I carefully laid him on his back and looked desperately at the doctors.
"Will he make it? Will he live?" I asked, looking back at the little ghoul. River's death was already a great loss, but it would kill me if Sodo died. He was like my brother.
"So far I can't say anything. It doesn't look too bad at first because most of the blood is from his wife, but we don't know what his internal injuries are. People can sometimes be badly injured, but with the adrenaline that flows through their bodies, in certain situations they can live for hours without any surgical explanation. Without the adrenaline they would almost die on the spot. So we're going to the hospital right now and examining him." She finally ended and I nodded when one of the doctors came with a stretcher.
"Can we come with you now?" I asked and she nodded.
"I'd love to, but I don't know how long it will be before we know more." Finally they put Sodo on the stretcher and took him up to the ambulance, which was very difficult because of the incline. I sighed and looked around. Broken parts of Sodo's car were everywhere, and the car itself wasn't anything like it used to be. Suddenly my eyes fell on Rain.
He was totally shaking and tears were running down his cheeks. I hurriedly ran to the ghoul
"Rain, what's going on?" I asked, grabbing his shoulders as well.
"Sodo... He just scared me so much" he whimpered and I hugged him.
"Oh Rain. He's in pain. You know Sodo when he's in pain," I tried to calm him down, even though I've never seen him so upset as he was just now.
"Yeah but that was the worst part. I saw his pain and I couldn't help it!" He kept crying and I stroked him a bit. After a while I broke away from him and took his face in my hands so that he had to look at me.
"Rain, Sodo needs us now. That's why we have to follow him now, can you do that?" I asked and after a moment's thought he nodded.
"Yes I can," he sniffled, wiping away his tears. Together we ran to the car and took the most important things out of it before we ran back to our own and followed the ambulance.
"Could you call Aether, please?" I asked Rain, who immediately switched on the speakerphone and dialed the number.
"Yes?" I heard Aether ask as I continued to focus on driving.
"Who is with you and where are you?" I asked.
"We're all here. Mountain, Cirrus, Cumulus, Sunshine and Papa and we're close to the freeway," he replied.
"Pull over immediately," I ordered Aether.
"Why?" he asked and I sighed.
"Aether, you have to pull over" since the ghoul didn't answer I assumed he was driving himself.
"We're standing" Aether said now and I just had to brake a bit so that I didn't collide with another car that was just about to change lanes.
"Do you have speakerphone on?" I asked.
"Yes of course" Aether said and I waited a moment. It was hard for me to break the news now, but I could never have let Rain say it, and they needed to know what to expect. Also, I was pretty much one of the only ghouls who could turn off my emotions when it mattered, which is why I was now able to drive a car.
"River is dead" I finally said without mercy and only heard silence for a moment.
"W-what?" I heard Sunshine's voice after what felt like an eternity.
"She died in the accident." I repeated and saw Rain start crying next to me.
"A-and Sodo?" Aether now asked with a breaking voice.
"The Doctors don't know for sure. He was awake from all the adrenaline but he looked nauseous and he has a broken leg. Doctors don't know if he has internal injuries. You're on your way to the hospital now." I continued
"You better all calm down for a few minutes and then get to the hospital, or I'll drop Rain off at the hospital and get you guys then." I offered but Rain immediately protested.
"No!" he screamed and then covered his mouth in shock. Apparently he hadn't meant to be so loud.
"No matter what you do, please don't leave me alone in the hospital." he said and I nodded.
"Then you must be driving alone. Take your time and understand what happened and then find someone who is still able to think clearly."
"I can do that" I heard Cirrus say.
"I'll drive on, we'll wait a few more minutes and then we'll come. Don't worry, I've got everything under control."
"Thanks, Cirrus. See you later." I hung up and drove on towards the hospital.
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End of part one. I hope you enjoyed it.