Tales of the Scarlet Kaida

Remember

Lucy's ragged breath escaped her lips, and tears shone at the corner of her eyes because of the smoke. She coughed and coughed once more. Her lungs hurt and fear and panic were ready to take over her nerves.

But she didn't let them win.

Just like she wouldn't let that dream win once again. She felt like she had already seen it a hundred times. Her voice was sore with her screaming and the burns on her arms didn't even hurt that much anymore.

She had seen it a hundred times: the main room on fire, the ceiling falling... Wood whining and pictures burning. The dark smoke filling the room and the cry of the walls melding with the one of her crew trapped on the other side of the ship.

She had seen it a hundred times.

She wouldn't let the fire win.

She wouldn't.

Not this time.

Not again.

It was her job to protect her crew. She couldn't let them down. What they thought of her didn't matter. It didn't matter if they thought she was a monster. They had all the rights and reasons to think so, but she couldn't let them down.

Not again.

Not this time.

Not ever.

She couldn't fail.

But no matter how many times she would say that, the scenery never changed. She had seen it a hundred times. She knew what was coming. In a matter of seconds the fire would reach the kitchen and everything would blow up. It was no use. She was useless.

Jijii was the one with fire powers after all...

Her vision blurred and the growl of the explosion hit her ears. She closed her eyes and let the tears slide down her cheeks. When she opened them again, she was back in her cell and she threw up right away, swearing she could still feel the blast of the detonation.

She was out of breath. How long would she be able to handle it? How long would it take for her mind to break?

She let her head rest on the wall behind her and chuckled. The same questions were probably going through Lotor's brain.

But she couldn't let him win. She couldn't give him what he wanted.

That would be failing them. Failing herself. And she couldn't let that happen.

She couldn't.

So when she felt the pounding in her head and the twist in her stomach once again, she took a deep breath and let the vision take over her mind once more. Her fingers clung around the locket around her neck. Clung to the memories that had kept her grounded up until now.

It didn't matter if she were to fail a hundred times. She only needed to win once.

Run faster. Don't falter. Be stronger.

<//>

Jijii felt the fire building inside her. If that weird bear of a woman and her fellow green furred friend didn't stop their bullshit right now , she was going to lash at them and pin their head to the wall. Or maybe she could skewer their heads on her sword? She hadn't settled on an idea yet. Plus it was common knowledge that black and green looked perfect together.

Aeris, the Altean princess, Coran, Shiro and herself sat in one of Scarlet Kaida's meeting room. In front of them, two members of the Coalition went on and on, on the fact that this meeting was useless and that they had traveled all this way for nothing.