This post marks the beginning of my Mission.
- Convince an enemy to fight with you (4)
Her eyes slowly opened, blinking her blurred vision away as her surroundings came into proper focus. As she regained consciousness she felt a new sensation, things felt different to before she lost consciousness. Lena looked around carefully - she recognized this room; it was a throne room, Lena had met Angela for the first time in the past. Fitting that she would be reunited with her here once again, for the first time after the cataclysm.
Lena realised now she was being cradled in Angela's arms who was draped across her throne like she was posing for a painting. She felt Angela's thumb slowly go back and forth over Lena's cheek gently. It was then Lena understood why she felt different, she was no longer connected to Mila, no she was now connected to Angela. Her threads lead to her.
"We once really liked each other."
"..."
"We could've done so much... I regret that I betrayed you every day."
"Angela..."
"I don't deserve your forgiveness, your mercy, you should have let me fade away into dust and forgot about me. Lena."
"...Where is Mila?"
"She's safe." Angela looked down at Lena, cradled against her chest. Angela stood up from her chair and showed Lena the room. It was massive and yet it was completely empty, devoid of any other presence.
"Just you and me. As it should have been." Angela sat back down in her chair, she held Lena's head in such a way that she was now sort of embracing her, cupping her cheeks. Lena knew why Angela showed her that they were alone, so that they could speak more vulnerably to each other. Angela always put on a stoic act for her Royal Guard, her subordinates, but she always used to open up to Lena.
"Angela, why would you make me your enemy again?"
"I wanted to be here, feel what it was like to rule, maybe try to regain my independence again. I wanted you to never wake up again... but you picked up a loyal one didn't you, that Mila..."
"You wanted to be a part of me, remember?"
"I know... I..."
"What you did to Alicia."
"I wasn't..."
"It doesn't matter! You threatened to hurt her, even if it was to keep me in control, it was still a mistake. Just like it was a mistake to think I'd never return. Are you going to keep me imprisoned here, as a head forever? Are you going to kill Mila and Yae when she turns up?"
"I should." Angela looked sternly at Lena before it broke and became softer, a frustrated groan escaping her lips, "But a small part of me was glad you attacked my Fort."
Lena smirked, "You remember the day we first met?"
Angela's eyes were wet, yet she managed a smirk, "Oh, you bring that up now after I threatened you?"
"Sounds like the perfect time to make you blush, throw you off a little?"
There was a little red in the Self-proclaimed Queen's cheeks, "Lena, take this seriously."
"You later said you loved me." Lena's smirk faded.
"When I was dying in your arms." Angela looked away from the head that how no other choice but to look at her, "I don't know if I feel that anymore. Yet. I still feel a devotion to you, I still feel like I must redeem myself for the betrayal and the danger I put you and Alicia into. I wanted to run away after the Cataclysm split us all apart, ignore all that and escape all ties. Yet I still find myself bound by this station."
"Jinshui can be our little safe-house, we don't have to abandon this station and with me you could travel and be just that little bit free-er." Lena raised an eyebrow, "I promise to try and give you all the necessary freedoms to feel like you aren't trapped. You're my group of fighters, I need your strength like you need mine to keep you going, you're also my friends and I care how you feel, it's going to be hard to work together if we're not fully in it."
Angela's eyes went a little wide for a moment. Friends? Even after all these years, Angela did not think Lena would forgive her for what she did. Yet, she was so easily labelled as a friend by Lena.
"What about her." There was a lot of emphasis on 'her' and Lena knew exactly who she was on about.
"She is different. I also have no idea where she is, but she can't be allowed to be free. She's not right." Lena tutted. "You need to help me get her back."
"So you say we don't have to abandon Jinshui as a station? How, when I'm not here who is going to run it."
"You don't have high ranking subordinates? Them. And once we find Zeri, Alicia and Juliana - they can come here, You know Zeri is an excellent leader and we can build something here again."
Angela thought for a bit, her mind coming up with all sorts of possibilities. She had seen first hand what Lena, Zeri and Sado had built in Shinramoto and how that flourished to become a united City near the Golden Sabbath. It was entirely possible to do it again, and who knows who else they may pick up.
"And if you ever feel the need to come visit here when we're away, I'll let you go. I promise."
Angela was surprised by this, how accepting she was being of her potential needs. It didn't even cross Angela's mind that she'd just go back to Jinshui on her own, yet Lena was giving her that trust.
"I didn't come here to shackle you Angela. I came here to save you." They both knew if Angela didn't return to Lena's body after a long while, she would no longer be able to function as she could not recover chakra on her own.
Angela had tears streaming down her cheeks, "Why. Why are you being so nice to me? after what I did? You call me your friend, you promise me a life, you attempt to cater to my needs... even when it crossed my mind to keep you locked away and betray you once again."
"You're not going to betray me again."
Angela didn't say anything, the two just looked at each other, but the White-haired lady struggled to keep eye contact with Lena.
"I thought this was going to end in a fight, with me killing you again."
"Me too. I mean, heh - well I guess if I did kill you, we'd both die."
"Trying to make a point ey? Very dumb, I'd be dead, you'd be dead, point not taken?" Lena laughed.
"Shut up." Angela smirked through the tears.
"Angela. It's like you wanted me to convince you to come back, the empty room, you holding me like this, connected again already?"
"I was never great at being your enemy."
Lena smiled at her. Angela smiled back, she brought Lena's head close and placed a kiss on her forehead.
"Weirdo."
"I will toss you." Angela pondered for a moment, "I have something of yours."
"Oh?"
"Your...uh...your body."
Lena's eyes shot open, shocked about this information. Angela stood up and took her out of the room, it was quite a way away, they went down a few stairs until they entered what seemed to be some kind of, laboratory or something. It was little and there was a table with a white sheet covering it, a body obviously underneath it.
Angela took the white sheet off and revealed Lena's body. It was covered in Paper Tags with sealing script on it, maybe to keep it from deteriorating. Lena was surprised it was here, though she now realized the lengths Angela tried to go to split them apart.
"Angela, you really tried to make it harder for me to find you?"
"Mhm. But I shouldn't of, we should have just talked like today. I'd be honoured to reunite you two together. You're gonna need it when we inevitably have to fight Sorrows."
Lena chuckled, and then Angela placed her head where Lena's neck is, she then pushed her hand into her body between the stitching and began to remove Lena's heart from her own stitched body. It beat in her hand, she watched it and then gently pushed it between the stitching on Lena's chest. The Dark Threads in the body seemed to latch on, taking it in on their own as Lena's head pressed against her neck, stitching threaded through her skin keeping her together and sealing it. Angela watched as Lena becomes one with herself again, her arms twitch and so do her legs. She begins to get used to her body again and sits up slowly. She lets out some deep breaths and sighs happily. It felt good.
"Lets get Mila."