R. A. T. H

Twenty-Nine

'What?'

Puzzlement filled the mind of the Homunculus. Her core hummed and her mind wondered as she glanced at a pair of soft, hazel eyes.

Did she think she was alive? It was a simple question. Rose thought the Reaper would want the simple answer of 'no' as most did not see homunculi as living objects. But there was sincerity in those eyes and in that voice.

She thought about her life until now.

Had she been alive when she met Idris Hunbrey? No, she had merely been ordered. Had she been alive when she met Lux and Maria? Only confusion had filled her at that point. Had she been alive when she fought with the S.O.S? No, the only objective on her mind was simply to make enough money to survive for the next few days.

"Think it?"

She chuckled as one specific memory popped into her mind. A time when she had no worries, a time when she lived the moment as if her troubles were nonexistent, a time when her mind was as free as a soaring bird. She was within the slums, barely making enough money to keep herself alive, but . . .

"Sipping Rose Tea and chatting with Elsa. . ." She smiled. "I had never felt more alive."

The muzzle of the weapon shuddered silently. A few seconds passed as both stared at each other. Emerald. Hazel. They looked at one another, both silently judging the other. Then, the muzzle left her forehead and the weapon clipped to the side of the female's thigh.

A sigh fell.

"Do you have a name?" The Reaper asked.

The homunculus raised a brow.

"Rose, just Rose."

"Very well, Rose, I'm Shana Striker."

The Reaper stood, looking down at her, frowning with furrowed brows before tapping her ear.

"Striker to base. The target used a slew of mana bombs to blow both themselves and the homunculus up. I assume they feared being tried for having gone against a Reaper's mission. Should I retrieve the bodies?"

She lied with a straight face and tone.

Arthur's voice came quickly from the other end. "Mana bombs?. . .how bad are the damages?"

"Bits and pieces, Arthur, bits and pieces of charred bodies. There's hardly anything left."

"No point in bringing burned limbs anymore then, Striker," A voice replied from the com, "The mission is over and the homunculus is out of the wrong hands. Record a feed of the area and return to base. . .hopefully you're not demoted."

"Roger and out, I've been thinking about getting out of the force soon, anyhow."

"Wha—"

The com clicked quiet and the Reaper turned to Rose.

"I'll do this much," She said, "Looks like I need to fake some corpses though, that dump might be nice. Either way, I wish you luck in this world, Rose. Don't die and maybe we'll meet again."

She turned to walk but, then, momentarily stopped to glance back.

"By the way—I don't know how you got it—but don't rely on only your Gear so much. Those things will hinder you if you're not careful, and they are best used in a Dungeon, anyway. It might make you strong, but your battle intelligence will decline. I recommend a Pulse Pistol and a Mana Shield to aid you. Maybe a Glove Armament too. You should widen your range."

The homunculus watched as her opponent, an opponent she couldn't hold a candle to, an opponent she had mostly struggled against, rode back on her silver jet.