Because I can.
On the ride to the edge of the river, Sage was silent, lost in despondency. The other two didn’t bother her; they probably thought she was just exhausted from the abuse Balrog had dealt her. She would have snorted in contempt at that if she didn’t know it would hurt so much. It wasn’t like Ashe had been any better off. It didn’t matter, though. She didn’t care. Just as long as they left her alone.
She was hardly aware of the jeep coming to a halt. The short squeak of the brakes seemed far off and distant, and she didn’t even notice the vibrations of the engine cease as Zena shut the vehicle down. The others climbed out of the vehicle. She thought so, anyway. It didn’t matter, anyway.
A hand gently came down on her shoulder. Ashe’s hand. Sage violently shrugged it off and bolted up out of the vehicle, stalking off along the river. “Sage!” the pink haired girl called after her. “Where are you going!?”
The young doctor chose to ignore her, and quickened her pace, her eyes stinging with fresh tears, her face contorted into a mask of sadness and fury. “Sage!!” came a different voice. With an angry curse, the crystal haired girl stamped a foot into the sandy ground and stiffly stood, heeding her sister’s call. “Get over here!” the authoritative voice took on a hint of anger. She wanted to lash out, to tell her to fuck off. Sage wanted to tell her to leave her the hell alone, but...
The girl turned around, and dejectedly made her way back to Zena. Her unfamiliar, angry eyes, obscured by stray hair, fell upon her sister. Sage was nearly snarling, and this put the more battle-hardened twin ill at ease. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? You think you can just wander off like an idiot?! This whole island is a death trap!”
At this the smaller twin said nothing. She just nodded despite what was being said, her eyes firmly fixed on her feet as she nervously wrung her hands. Ashe couldn’t believe she was just going to stand there and take it. No, she wouldn’t let that happen.
“Hey, come on,” she spoke to Zena. “She’s your sister.”
“Another word out of you and you won’t make it home,” was the blunt retort. “Now come on. I’ll fly you hair balls across the river and we can get going. Sage, make sure to watch what you’re doing from here on.”
“Hey,” Ashe nearly whispered, resting her palm on the blue haired girl’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about- augh!” she stumbled back as Sage planted her palm square against her chest.
“Don’t worry about what?!” she growled, her voice coming as a shock even to her. “Don’t worry that we’re about to die on an island for some millionaire’s snuff film?! Don’t worry that you and I just got beaten up for no reason other than to please some sick, twisted degenerate?! What shouldn’t I worry about, was that it?!”
“Sage!” Zena barked. “Enough!!”
“NO!!” the addict screamed, stunning the confident blond. Her surprise was etched on her face; Sage never, ever talked back to her sister for any reason. “I killed someone today, Zena!” she shouted, the tears streaming down her face.
“You-” the blue eyed girl didn’t quite know how to respond. Sage had never killed anyone. Zena knew how much she cherished human life, because she had to console her for months after killing people who had done sinister things to her.
“I saw that, Sage,” Ashe stated, a hand still on her chest. “You did it to save your sister. That guard was sneaking up on her. You did what you had to do,” in truth, the sight had unnerved her, as well, but she knew the azure haired girl needed support at the moment, not a lesson in ethics.
“Zena could have easily brushed him off,” Sage bitterly countered. “But I shot him. I shot him in the back and I-” she began to sob. “And I killed him anyway.”
“You prevented an ambush, Sage. Balrog was-”
What the hell do you know, Ashe?! Sage telepathically screamed at the pink haired girl. Have you ever killed anyone?! her eyes bored into Ashe’s. Have you ever taken away someone’s right to live?! overcome with grief, Sage fell to her knees as she wept.
“Enough. We’re in difficult circumstances,” Zena began. “You did what anyone-”
“I’m a doctor, Zena! Don’t you get it? I have saved over a hundred patients from death, and I’ve made life better for hundreds more. And all of that... everything I did - everything I do after this - it’s... it’s all for nothing. Mom... and dad... and you... you’re killers. I was going to be a killer too, but I’m... ruined. I thought I would save lives instead of take them... I thought I could make up for it for us... make up for it for me, but, now...” Sage looked down at the gun that had found its way into her hand. She turned it over, looking at the lethality selector switch. There was a non-lethal option. But it wasn’t the option the switch was set to. “...I threw everything away. My only...” she finished under her breath. “My only reason to live.”
She wiped her eyes and climbed to her feet. And then, to Ashe and Zena’s horror, she put the gun to her head, and had already pulled the trigger halfway before her sister managed to teleport behind her, violently slapping the gun out of her hand with enough force to send the girl sprawling. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Zena roared.
“But, I...”
“You can’t do this! I won’t let you!”
Sage looked at the gun in the sand. Her stare was empty. Where there was always fear, or the occasional glimmer of hope, now there was nothing. What tiny fragment of herself she had left had been taken from her.
Because I can.
“What’s the point?” she finally demanded, the shocking passion and anger having died out with the rest of her. “I can’t help you; I’m just a burden anyway. Zena, I... have always been a-”
“Shut up.”
“It’s true and you-”
“We’re not talking about this!”
“But we are talking about this!” Sage pleaded, her eyes searching for something. “We’re talking about the truth! Being a doctor was all that I had left, so why even bother? You’ll be able to move faster without me, anyway.”
“We’re not leaving my sister behind!” Zena retorted. “And I’m not letting you blow your brains out on some game show.”
“But... but, Zena, I want to die.”
Silence.
“Sage,” it was Ashe this time. “There... are people who have done terrible things and have learned to live with them. You can atone for this, someday-”
“How can I-”
“But for right now,” Ashe pushed through Sage’s rebuttal. “You have to stay strong. If not for me, then for your sister.”
“My sister doesn’t need me; she’s taken care of me since I was thirteen.”
“That isn’t true,” Zena snapped. “I... do need you.”
Sage blinked her surprise. “...For what?” her voice sounded somewhat more even. Zena sighed. She didn’t like getting mushy.
“You say you live for being a doctor, and that you depend on me, right?”
“...Yeah, but-”
“Have you ever thought that maybe I needed something to live for?”
“I don't-”
“When I had nothing else to live for, I lived for taking care of you.”
Sage was dumbstruck. “Zena... I...”
“Are you going to take away something I live for, or will you at least wait until after Kai is dead to make your choice?”
“You'll find something, Sage,” Ashe promised.
Zena picked up the gun and held it out to her sister. “Now, if we're done here, you're wasting time, Sage,” she grumbled, reverting to her old self. And yet, Sage couldn't help but smile, despite it all. Things were bleak, but she would try to sort it out. For Zena. “So let's go.”
On the ride to the edge of the river, Sage was silent, lost in despondency. The other two didn’t bother her; they probably thought she was just exhausted from the abuse Balrog had dealt her. She would have snorted in contempt at that if she didn’t know it would hurt so much. It wasn’t like Ashe had been any better off. It didn’t matter, though. She didn’t care. Just as long as they left her alone.
She was hardly aware of the jeep coming to a halt. The short squeak of the brakes seemed far off and distant, and she didn’t even notice the vibrations of the engine cease as Zena shut the vehicle down. The others climbed out of the vehicle. She thought so, anyway. It didn’t matter, anyway.
A hand gently came down on her shoulder. Ashe’s hand. Sage violently shrugged it off and bolted up out of the vehicle, stalking off along the river. “Sage!” the pink haired girl called after her. “Where are you going!?”
The young doctor chose to ignore her, and quickened her pace, her eyes stinging with fresh tears, her face contorted into a mask of sadness and fury. “Sage!!” came a different voice. With an angry curse, the crystal haired girl stamped a foot into the sandy ground and stiffly stood, heeding her sister’s call. “Get over here!” the authoritative voice took on a hint of anger. She wanted to lash out, to tell her to fuck off. Sage wanted to tell her to leave her the hell alone, but...
The girl turned around, and dejectedly made her way back to Zena. Her unfamiliar, angry eyes, obscured by stray hair, fell upon her sister. Sage was nearly snarling, and this put the more battle-hardened twin ill at ease. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? You think you can just wander off like an idiot?! This whole island is a death trap!”
At this the smaller twin said nothing. She just nodded despite what was being said, her eyes firmly fixed on her feet as she nervously wrung her hands. Ashe couldn’t believe she was just going to stand there and take it. No, she wouldn’t let that happen.
“Hey, come on,” she spoke to Zena. “She’s your sister.”
“Another word out of you and you won’t make it home,” was the blunt retort. “Now come on. I’ll fly you hair balls across the river and we can get going. Sage, make sure to watch what you’re doing from here on.”
“Hey,” Ashe nearly whispered, resting her palm on the blue haired girl’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about- augh!” she stumbled back as Sage planted her palm square against her chest.
“Don’t worry about what?!” she growled, her voice coming as a shock even to her. “Don’t worry that we’re about to die on an island for some millionaire’s snuff film?! Don’t worry that you and I just got beaten up for no reason other than to please some sick, twisted degenerate?! What shouldn’t I worry about, was that it?!”
“Sage!” Zena barked. “Enough!!”
“NO!!” the addict screamed, stunning the confident blond. Her surprise was etched on her face; Sage never, ever talked back to her sister for any reason. “I killed someone today, Zena!” she shouted, the tears streaming down her face.
“You-” the blue eyed girl didn’t quite know how to respond. Sage had never killed anyone. Zena knew how much she cherished human life, because she had to console her for months after killing people who had done sinister things to her.
“I saw that, Sage,” Ashe stated, a hand still on her chest. “You did it to save your sister. That guard was sneaking up on her. You did what you had to do,” in truth, the sight had unnerved her, as well, but she knew the azure haired girl needed support at the moment, not a lesson in ethics.
“Zena could have easily brushed him off,” Sage bitterly countered. “But I shot him. I shot him in the back and I-” she began to sob. “And I killed him anyway.”
“You prevented an ambush, Sage. Balrog was-”
What the hell do you know, Ashe?! Sage telepathically screamed at the pink haired girl. Have you ever killed anyone?! her eyes bored into Ashe’s. Have you ever taken away someone’s right to live?! overcome with grief, Sage fell to her knees as she wept.
“Enough. We’re in difficult circumstances,” Zena began. “You did what anyone-”
“I’m a doctor, Zena! Don’t you get it? I have saved over a hundred patients from death, and I’ve made life better for hundreds more. And all of that... everything I did - everything I do after this - it’s... it’s all for nothing. Mom... and dad... and you... you’re killers. I was going to be a killer too, but I’m... ruined. I thought I would save lives instead of take them... I thought I could make up for it for us... make up for it for me, but, now...” Sage looked down at the gun that had found its way into her hand. She turned it over, looking at the lethality selector switch. There was a non-lethal option. But it wasn’t the option the switch was set to. “...I threw everything away. My only...” she finished under her breath. “My only reason to live.”
She wiped her eyes and climbed to her feet. And then, to Ashe and Zena’s horror, she put the gun to her head, and had already pulled the trigger halfway before her sister managed to teleport behind her, violently slapping the gun out of her hand with enough force to send the girl sprawling. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Zena roared.
“But, I...”
“You can’t do this! I won’t let you!”
Sage looked at the gun in the sand. Her stare was empty. Where there was always fear, or the occasional glimmer of hope, now there was nothing. What tiny fragment of herself she had left had been taken from her.
Because I can.
“What’s the point?” she finally demanded, the shocking passion and anger having died out with the rest of her. “I can’t help you; I’m just a burden anyway. Zena, I... have always been a-”
“Shut up.”
“It’s true and you-”
“We’re not talking about this!”
“But we are talking about this!” Sage pleaded, her eyes searching for something. “We’re talking about the truth! Being a doctor was all that I had left, so why even bother? You’ll be able to move faster without me, anyway.”
“We’re not leaving my sister behind!” Zena retorted. “And I’m not letting you blow your brains out on some game show.”
“But... but, Zena, I want to die.”
Silence.
“Sage,” it was Ashe this time. “There... are people who have done terrible things and have learned to live with them. You can atone for this, someday-”
“How can I-”
“But for right now,” Ashe pushed through Sage’s rebuttal. “You have to stay strong. If not for me, then for your sister.”
“My sister doesn’t need me; she’s taken care of me since I was thirteen.”
“That isn’t true,” Zena snapped. “I... do need you.”
Sage blinked her surprise. “...For what?” her voice sounded somewhat more even. Zena sighed. She didn’t like getting mushy.
“You say you live for being a doctor, and that you depend on me, right?”
“...Yeah, but-”
“Have you ever thought that maybe I needed something to live for?”
“I don't-”
“When I had nothing else to live for, I lived for taking care of you.”
Sage was dumbstruck. “Zena... I...”
“Are you going to take away something I live for, or will you at least wait until after Kai is dead to make your choice?”
“You'll find something, Sage,” Ashe promised.
Zena picked up the gun and held it out to her sister. “Now, if we're done here, you're wasting time, Sage,” she grumbled, reverting to her old self. And yet, Sage couldn't help but smile, despite it all. Things were bleak, but she would try to sort it out. For Zena. “So let's go.”
![[Image: Sage.jpg]](http://rebecca.florizone.com/sig/miscsig/Sage.jpg)