Being A Human

Warning: A lot of blood, slight cursing, and disturbing desperation. You might want to get a tissue box too.

'The carpet is red,' was the second cohesive thought Amelia managed to conjure up. The third thought was, 'It was a white carpet.' Amelia distantly noted the thud of Charlotte falling to the floor in horror with abject numbness. Red liquid painted her knees a morbid red.

'No, not liquid. Blood.'

A drop landed on her cheek. Amelia's eyes focused with startling clarity at the body stuck between the railings, dripping blood falling slowly from her toes like a faulty tap. It was Malinda. Something inside of Amelia snapped, and the next moment she sprinted up the stairs leaving behind dark red footprints. Malinda was leaning on the dresser, a deep cut in her torso undoubtedly lethal. In bright red, 'NICKOLAS' was written besides her. Amelia shook her head shakily in disbelief and incredibility.

"M-Malinda..."

Her clouded eyes opened widely, terror and madness intermingling. Her pupils were shaking rapidly, before focusing slightly on the voice she heard. Malinda's eyes lit up in another shade of emotion.

Hope.

"Amelia, d-do your thing! Hypnosis or whatever it's called! Save me right now," she said, her hand coming up slowly to Amelia's cheek. "You can do that, can't you?!"

A different flavor of terror flooded her senses. Malinda was fully prepared to hurt her in her deranged state of mind, if she didn't do what she wanted. The tingly sixth sense in the back of her mind confirmed her guess. Amelia swallowed her saliva, and let a jerky nod.

"Good girl, good girl," she purred, her calloused fingers petting Amelia's cheek lightly

Fear churned within her stomach, as she slowly took her bandana off. She still kept the bangs covering her eye however. Her weird power still required eye contact to work, although even if the eye in question was almost entirely covered by her bangs, it worked. A single catch of the eye, and the green energy invaded the mind; it was a like viper hiding in the grass about to strike.

"C-Close your eyes" Amelia stated, the middle of her forehead glowing a light green.

"Focus on my voice, and my voice alone. Forget yourself. Imagine a stream of energy flowing throughout your body, slowly but surely healing your aches and pains away."

The mind's subconscious and conscious converged, trying to heal the wound. But... it didn't work.

It was stupidity at its finest to assume that it could heal the wound in the first place. The cut closed slightly, and the blood stopped rushing out so quickly, but that was all Amelia could do. Malinda didn't like it. The hand that she hadn't removed from Amelia's cheek darted downwards towards her throat. The shaky hand clamped down hard on her windpipe. She fell down hard on her knees.

"You goddamn baron!" she snarled in fury, the light gradually fading from her eyes

Amelia clawed at the hand at her throat, desperately trying to break free from its hold. Her vision started to swim, with black spots burning in her eyes. She wanted to breathe!

"What the hell... Malinda, what in god's name are you doing!!!" Charlie roared

Malinda's hold only got tighter, as her eyes continued to dim. She didn't even know what she was doing anymore... She was just so angry at everything, that goddamned baron, ojuo-sama, and herself. She just wanted to.. wanted to... Malinda's conscious flew away as a leg hit her head.

'Ahh, I wanted to go home. I just got enough money for... I can't remember. What was it? I guess it doesn't matter anymore... Sorry, ojuo-sama... I was mean.'

Tears ran down her face as she coughed. She had heard everything that Malinda couldn't covey. The green light dimmed down, as the eye closed slowly.

"Malinda... I'm sorry too. If I.. If I could have healed you, you could have finally got that expensive medicine to Thomas. Why? Why didn't I help you get money for it?! If you left to your village..."

'You wouldn't be dead!'

Charlie only stood still, hands clenched at the side. She couldn't bring herself to forgive Matilda. In her opinion, no matter the reason, it's unforgivable to strangle a child. Amelia was still shaking in fear unknowingly. Charlie slowly knelt down and pulled Amelia into a hug. Warm tears fell down onto blond strands of hair.

"I'm sorry I took so long, Amelia. I'm so sorry."

Amelia returned the hug, eyes shining with unshed tears.

"M'kay, I forgive you. Charlie... Why did everyone have to die?"

A cold glint full of determination lit up her green eyes.

"I don't know, but I going to find out. Mark my words."

Amelia did nothing but point at the capital letters signed with blood on the ground. She didn't want to believe it, but her father wasn't the same ever since Blaire died. If it was true... They were interrupted by a towering abomination of both flesh and metal. Upon seeing them, it fired out it's bullets that were as big as a hand.

"Inn...ocence. Inn...ocence!" The monster howled

Charlotte threw Amelia to the side with all of her strength, and immediately started to run afterwards. It missed her by an inch. The wild barrage knocked off the tank on the dresser, the fish free-falling in the air. It died from another bullet seconds later, dissipating into fine black dust.

"W-What is this creature?!"

Suddenly, it let one bigger bullet fly. It doesn't hit Charlie, but the thing behind her. Malinda's body. Black dust flies, flowing with the wind. The crimson setting sun dyes it in a shade of dark red, giving the illusion of consuming all light around it. The complete opposite of tears, as they reflect all the light of the setting sun. With tears slowly falling down her face, Amelia stands up.

"How dare you defile Malinda's corpse! And try to hurt Charlie!"

Wind blows once more, shifting bangs and revealing the 3rd eye, the innocence, in its full glory. Green glimmers softly in the form of a cross. Eyeing the fallen cooking knife on the floor, it becomes enshrouded in flickers of green. It rises, it flies, and it kills. The Akuma dissipates into particles.