Frozen Rose (Langa x reader)

Chapter 119

(Y/n)'s POV

The light pitter-patter of the rain turned into a heavy downpour as soon as we hid under some sort of cubby hole in a playground. I hugged my knees, staring at the rain and letting it calm my myriad of nerves.

Langa pressed against my side before eventually draping his jacket over my body despite the fact that he only had a thin shirt on underneath. He was too kind for his own good. I didn't deserve someone like him.

"As you already know, I had an older brother. He was around our age when he passed."
"How...?" Langa started, his voice betraying his curiosity.
"...you know, my mum and Ruka aren't wrong. I killed him."
"Reki doesn't seem to believe that."

I stared into the rain for a while, letting the silence drag out. The scenes replayed in my mind like a broken record, the same pain and trauma spread out for all the world to see. I took a deep breath before beginning to tell Langa a story.

~Flashback~

"(Y/n), this is a bad idea. Don't go," said Luke.
"But I never miss out on a secret operation. Uncle won't let me get hurt."
"I know but seriously, this is a war. I'm not letting you go kill yourself."
"No, I know how to fight."

He bent down to look me in the eye. His chocolate brown hair had been ruffled in his frustration, his purple-blue eyes a mixture of worry and fear. My brother rarely feared anything.

"I don't want you to get hurt. Mum and dad'll kill me if their only daughter doesn't come back," he exclaimed softly.
"Says the favourite child."
"I am not the favourite. Why are we talking about this right now?"
"Will you go, Luke?"
"Do you want me to stay?"

I nodded. He let out a dramatic sigh before lifting me up like I weighed as much as air. Laughter erupted from my mouth when he swung me, almost hitting dad as he walked past.

"What are my two troublemakers up to now?" he laughed.
"Dad, Luke's being a meanie poo."
"Should we punish him then?"
"What the hell? Do I not get a say in this?" Luke yelled as he avoided both dad and I.

A giggle escaped me before I was rolling on the floor, having been captured by Luke as he tickled my stomach. A trickle of guilt slid into my heart. I wasn't going to stay.

~Timeskip to the mission~

Luke pulled me back, hiding behind an old car as gunshots hit the rustic metal. He glared at me, shielding me from any flying rubble or debris. I crossed my arms, hating how I was being treated like a child.

"I told you to stay at home!" he hissed.
"Well, sorry. I wasn't going to."
"Ughhh, why the hell are you so reckless? Come on, we're going home."
"In this mess? Not a chance. I'm gonna find uncle."
"No, you're not! Listen, my friend's here too. I'm not about to risk his life-"

A man came charging at us but it wasn't long before Luke effortlessly flipped him over and shot at his thighs. I was suddenly tripped; however, my reflexes were quick due to my endless training and the enemy now had a gunshot wound in his stomach.

"(Y/n)! Luke! Watch out!" we heard uncle yell.

Ruka's brother rushed forward and pushed the both of us to the ground, shielding us from whatever attack had come. Luke was the first to react, pulling his best friend onto his back, tears streaming from his eyes.

"Dude, get up. This isn't f-funny."

Blood pooled around us. His body was peppered with bullets, a lifeless husk of the person he once was. Tears silently made their way down my cheeks. Luke screamed. This was all my fault.

Pain suddenly erupted on the back of my head before all went black. It was a while before I regained consciousness. Entangled thoughts clashed in my mind as my eyes adjusted to the new environment.

I was sitting on the ground with my hands tied. Luke was on his knees a few metres in front of me, hands and feet bound. A couple of the enemy gang had formed a sort of circle around us, all holding firearms.

"Seems like the little girl is finally awake," commented a man with tattoos covering the left side of his face.
"Don't you dare touch her! I swear, if you hurt a single hair on her body, I will kill you," Luke growled.

His eyes were red, dried tears on his cheeks and yet, he was still as strong as ever. He was forcing back his pain to protect me. I glared at the man, refusing to show fear as he came forward and tilted my chin up.

"Girlie, I have an offer to make you."

He cut the ropes binding my hands and pressed a pistol into my palms. It was one of high quality yet I would not dare use this to fire at him. All the other men had their guns trained on my brother, who looked deathly worried for me despite his own condition.

"Use this to kill your brother and I'll let you go. But take too long and you both die," said the man.
"Why the hell are you doing this?" Luke questioned.
"Your uncle is a frighteningly loyal man, isn't he? He would fight to the death to protect his family. Now, what do you think would happen if he finds out his precious niece murdered his nephew? Would he lose all sense of sanity? Wouldn't that make him want to kill himself?"

My grip on the gun loosened, my hands shaking. Luke managed to catch my attention, pleading me to listen with his eyes. He held no fear when I looked, the only thing reflected back at me was unconditional love.

"(Y/n), you're gonna be fine. I'm gonna need you to be strong. Can you do that?"
"Luke, I-I don't know-"
"Come on, you're my sister. Who doesn't wanna have a badass girl in their family? Can I see your smile?"
"Luke-"
"Please?"

I forced a shaky smile, sure I appeared more like a gremlin than a normal girl. He grinned, apparently finding my expression funny before all hell went loose. During the entire time we had been bound, he had slowly whittled away at the ropes and had slipped them off.

However, as soon as he rushed towards me, the man with the tattooed face wrapped his hands around my own and pressed my finger against the trigger. A single gunshot rang out. Luke's body fell. His glassy eyes stared into oblivion, never once seeing me again. I screamed.