Chapter Text
November 24th 1997
She was almost there just a few more steps and she'd be free from her life as a weapon and live as a normal girl with the boy that showed her what it meant to be human. That would've been the case until she saw her. Red hair, orange eyes, red rings for irises, a formal white button up, black tie, and brown dress shoes. She heard her talk about a country mouse and a city mouse. She was tense, her arm raised to her neck, finger looped around the pin ready to pull it as soon as she tried any movement.
"I like the country mouse too" She saw that she had a rat on her hand as she spoke every word she said only made her more and more uneasy "My friend has this farm out in the country. Every fall, I go visit and give them a little help with their work." She had no idea where this was going she only kept listening looking at her body movement, it was calm and calculated not a single ounce of worry, as if she'd plan for all of this "Rats hide in the soil, in the fields. They'll damage the crops... ... So before the ground can be covered by snow, you have to exterminate them." Every word she spoke, she'd tighten her finger around her pin, becoming more and more uneasy at her story. "And I couldn't tell you why. . . But I find watching that to be very calming"
She hardened her nerves cause she knew that Makima would've probably tried and stop her from running away with him, after all Denji had mentioned Makima and how he needed to stay alive for her, he truly was an idiot on a leash, but she wasn't going to let this opportunity of finally being free slip away she had every right to fight for her own happiness all she wanted was to be free and live like a normal person she wouldn't let Makima take that awa-
She had felt something slice her arm and hand off of her body, she looked and saw a spear imbedded into the ground where she was stabbed, she quickly backed up and took out a knife if she couldn't transform it didn't matter as long as she was able to kill Makima here she'd worry about her injuries later when she met Denji at the Café she was just a few steps away from living a happy life, one she would cherish forever it didn't matter where as long as she was with Denji, being with him made everything she's suffered until now bearable, he's made her feel like she deserved livi-
She felt another spear pierce her this time stabbing her shoulder, she spat out blood and slowly fell to her knees. She still had her other arm she could still pull her pin. She moved her right hand to her pin to be able to at least try and transform then she felt her hand slowly being taken away by hers she didn't need to look up to know that it was Makima who'd taken her hand off of her pin she felt cold. Was she dying? No, she was a hybrid, she couldn't die but that didn't mean she'd know when she'd wake up or when she'd heal her wounds, but all she could focus on was how cold everything felt she regretted not telling Denji everything about her, how her life was a lie, how she was an experiment, why she didn't kill him at the start, and how she'd never went to school either she hadn't the faintest clue what school was like.
. . .
November 24 1999
She woke up she would've expected to be locked up in a Russian facility where she wouldn't be able to escape from again but instead she found herself in a hospital room and in a hospital gown. Where was she? How long had she been out, she couldn't remember anything asides from her final moments trying to reach the café. Damn that woman Makima, she was finally close to being with the one she lo-
"Oh you're awake." She turned her head to see a nurse walking up to her with a clip board, was she part of the public safety department? Was she a part of the Soviet Union? Just who was she?
"So Miss Reze correct?" She said her name and fixed her eyes at her
"Yes?" She could only respond to her name she didn't know who she was or where she was but hopefully she wasn't where she thought she was, she couldn't live with herself to be subjugated to that kind of treatment again.
"Good it's great to see you're up you've been out for a while now" She was? How long? and if so What year was it? She just couldn't get that question out of her head.
"Could I ask for how long was I out?" Please say only a few days, or a week hell even a month she'd take she just wanted to know that not a lot of time had passed since her the last time she saw Denji.
"Around a couple of days" She had exhaled a breath she didn't know she had kept in her throat, only a few days thank god she could probably explain to Denji what had happened but first she needed to leave this hospital.
"Um. Sorry Miss but could I leave?" She wanted to be let out, she didn't want to wait any longer than she had already made him wait, hopefully Denji didn't think she had left him to go back to her home country.
"Are you sure you're feeling better? You were out for a few days the person that admitted you here said they found you knocked out." She could tell that the nurse was hesitant to let her go soon since she'd been out for so long but she was sure that she didn't need to wait anymore
"Yes I'm sure I'm quite alright." She tried to reassure the nurse that she would be fine on her own hopefully convincing her enough to allow her to go.
She saw her sigh and walked over to her to check up on her and see if she was truly fit to be discharged, she took her time examining her which she wasn't opposed to cause she wanted to be sure she was in tip top condition before she could meet Denji again. After a while of checking her vitals and blood pressure she was finally discharged officially from whatever hospital they had been keeping her in. Once she finally stepped out and let the sunlight hit her skin she took a deep breath she couldn't remember the last time she was able to walk outside and feel the sun if it weren't for a mission from the Soviets or during her time with-
She sighed as she realized she had absolutely no idea where to find Denji, the last thing she remembered was seeing him at her work place before she- She didn't need to think about her death at the moment right now, what she needed to focus on was getting a stable life right now before she didn't want to, but of course there was a problem to that goal as well.
She didn't know where she was but that shouldn't be hard she's studied multiple languages when she was in Russia. All she needed to do was ask around and get a feel for the place, right this shouldn't be too hard? Nah she's done this countless times, except those were for missions but not this time she's doing this so she's able to meet Denji again this is her end goal to possibly be able to reunite with Denji and hopefully start something with him, she started by looking around the writing she recognized the Slavic writing and the fact the nurse spoke Russian so she was in Russia but which part is a better question she should start asking around but just incase she should use an allias if anyone were to recognize her hopefully she wouldn't need to kill anyone but she'd still do it if her cover was blown
. . .
A few days had passed she made good progress to her extent, she found out that she was located in Furmanovo a small town near the edge of Russia and the Sea of Japan, she could easily cross using her hybrid form but that would cause too much commotion and she didn't want to get hunted by both Makima and the Soviet Union, so she'd have to secretly sneak in either by plane, boat, or train either would be a hassle since she isn't technically a person but a highly dangerous weapon that's escaped the USSR, train wouldn't work there aren't any trains from Russia and Japan, Planes not really since there weren't any near by and they required ID which she had none of, all really just left one option being boat which would make the most sense, due to them being next to the Sea of Japan she could also probably, hopefully sneak in without them noticing and they wouldn't really do an ID search as long as they're getting paid.
"By boat it is." She sighed it wouldn't be easy but she'd still try she'd either get found out, mistaken as a immigrant or just get kicked out of the boat, but she didn't have any other choice the best shot she had to not get found out would be to either board a small vessel, or a cruise ship where she could sneak in by stealing an ID but that'd be too much of a hassle
"Damn this is harder than I thought." She kept herself in thought and eventually gave up and laid on her temporary bed "Ha. . . this is really messing with my head, I should just take a gander and hope for the best on the ship." She made up her mind, she didn't want to be crowded in a small boat so a ship would be her plan.
. . .
She had decided to get as much either loose change or money in any ways, there was a limit of course but it was enough to barely get herself a ticket. When she boarded the ship she of course gave fake ID's she had made didn't want anyone knowing who she really is, and luckily no one questioned it and she went on about her day in the ship as it set sailed to Japan.
She stretched waking up from her small nap and looked around the sea and sighed, she still remembered when Denji pulled her towards him and wrapped his chains around her and made them fall into the sea when she was trying to kill him. . .
"I still feel horrible for telling him that everything I felt was a lie. . ." And it was the last thing she had told him before she tried to go the the café but still despite telling him that he still told her she'd wait for her. At least she'd try and find him again. She looked up and saw the port and sighed hopefully she wouldn't be late, she wished this can be her second chance.