It shouldn't have ended like this...
It felt too sudden.
Too...quick.
Red saw everything flash before his eyes, too fast for him to even react.
Why...did this happen to them?
Do they even deserve this?
More so, his involvement with Gabby in the first place, is now the main reason one of his friends is in a brink of permanent death.
Death without another future.
Death that leads to...nothingness.
...
Murasaki carried toddler Harry, which isn't actually that much of a walker since he usually walks long miles in an animal's form.
While Humility and Red stays close, just behind Murasaki.
The field was snowy, but it's where they perceived signal.
Gabby should be near here.
RED: Gabby! Gabby! Can you hear us?
Their summons were on a far distance away from them, to lure unexpected enemies. But it seems like Jinko was smart enough to know that.
He peeked as a snow owl, on one of the trees. As the mighty Fia waits for the perfect time to strike. She looks at Jinko, still in her pure spider form, wondering if she'd attack them or not, but Jinko only quietly says that they must master patience.
Humility, even on his small form, was wary and has better senses more than his friends. He knows that something was terribly wrong, the moment they passed a withered tree, with an owl perched on its branch. It looked at him, trying hard to look innocent, but it felt vaguely familiar to simply ignore. Murasaki too, noticed it. And because of a very bad feeling, leaned to the three kids to say what he thinks.
MURASAKI: I think we should walk, or even run. That owl looks too familiar for it's own good.
HUMILITY: Me too. I thought I'm the only one who thinks that way. Let's just hurry up.
RED: Huh? *turns to look* Oh damn, you're right.
I guess we should just run or something.
HUMILITY: Yes. But...I think it's not a good thing to do so. It will only trigger them to expose themselves while we're on our backs, running. More realistically, it's better to fight it.
HARRY: Damn. Send our summons then.
The summon, hovering on top of them was Red's. It morphed into Red's normal shadow copy and was ready to protect them.
Humility, knowing it might be Jinko felt that it was useless to have him and Harry's summon far away from their location, and called them back quickly.
Jinko, before having them out of his reach told Fia to attack the summons, while he, gets to the children.
Fia agrees. Not caring about the everstone Jinko promised, but caring about him having his revenge after forming an already stable friendship with him.
JINKO: It's your time to shine, Fia.
FIA: I'll try my best to comply.
Fia called out six more Jorugumos. It was Jinko's secret plan. They planned the whole thing, eventhough Fia betrayed her own kind into thinking that there will be a price, she knew that they won't win this match if not for a little sacrifice.
With their number, they might give Jinko enough time to slaughter the children.
Before Harry and Humility's summons reach them, the six jorugumos were already in place, eager to fight them if it meant having a lifetime of supply of human meat.
They screeched to distract the summons, now morphing into Humility and Harry's shadow copy, ready for battle.
The real Humility, felt angered at how much of a wrong decision he had made, that what he thought could prevent them from being tracked easily, was now the reason they might lose and therefore lose their lives and the hope of ever saving Gabby from the hands of evil.
If only he have thought smarter, maybe they might actually have a chance.
Red's summon, now their only hope of living, as they ran for their lives, bravely tried to hold its own against the powerful Jinko.
Murasaki carried Red and Harry, as Humility ran, keeping an eye on their backs as he was the strongest out of all of them.
Jinko felt like even as a copy, Red was able to improve his self, given that he was able to fight more often now.
The copy even managed to injure his left wing, when Jinko tried to dodge, because his scythe was aiming for his head.
But it was all part of his mischievous plan.
Jinko, not wanting to make things longer, used the fallen feathers to trap Red's shadow summon. Laughing at it's own forgetfulness, and misfortune that he did the same trick on him with success.
JINKO: Crap, you're as ignorant as the first time I've met you. If only you didn't come this far...your friends might have been spared from my never giving up self... Farewell, sucker.
He speeds up to catch to them, but Humility, knowing that he was the main goal, quickly called out his summon, who was by then to fortunate luck, was done defeating the Jorugumos.
Harry's summon was called too, it freed Red's clone first before reaching Humility.
Fia, not seeing any other options left, tried to corner Humility's summon before it reaches Jinko, who was successfully able to drag Humility far from the group.
RED/MURASAKI/HARRY: Humility!
Jinko: Who is the loser now?
He strangled Humility while laughing maniacally.
Red felt stiff and horrified witnessing his friend's neck turn purple. As his eyes slowly looks at him sadly, as if bidding his farewell.
Murasaki didn't know what to do, if he fights, he dies. If he stands there, Humility would. At the end of the day, no matter how much brave he wanted to be, he can't risk losing his life to save this creatures he barely even know.
Fia screamed at the back however, as the summon was holding her captive.
Jinko felt at awe as he saw that Fia lost four legs. Humility's summon was brutal. Much more brutal than its holder.
It was clear that it was making a deal.
Keep his holder alive, or it'll kill her without remorse or any slight hesitation.
Fia wasn't even able to look at Jinko. She was too weak, her tears flowing out of her eyes. One could tell that she really was in great pain. But Jinko, thinking that it was his only chance...that it was the only time he got this close to victory...that it was finally his moment to have revenge... was now hesitant for the first time.
He remembered Jane.
And it felt too familiar..
The feeling that he may lose another great friend.
It would have been easier if he hadn't spent much time with her but..
He cares about her now.
It it felt like he was given an extremely hard question to which both answers were correct to him.
If he did ignore her, he could finally do what he had always planned since Jane, his great friend died.
But if he did ignore her on the other side of the spectrum, he'd have the same growing hate inside his heart that might never go away.
It felt hard.
Too hard for him to say an answer to.
Humility's copy, in a deep threatening voice, told him: Make your choice...I'm not patient, you know?
Jinko closed his eyes. And breathed in heavily.
There's no way out of this.
He can take revenge next time, but if he loses Fia, there will be no next time.
Jinko lets Humility go. Then rushed back to aid Fia.
JINKO: You got me this time, but I'm sure someday, I'd make you all f*cking suffer.
He walks away, carrying her body carefully.
While whispering words of comfort in her ear.
Fia with her last bit of strength looked at him, then smiled. She was honestly surprised he chose her over victory, as she knew how much effort and time he had put into this.
FIA: ...why?
JINKO: Because it's you...
Fia's eyes released more tears.
Jinko wasn't as ruthless as one could imagine. On a different angle, he sure was a great friend.
JINKO: Besides, we'll get them next time. But for now, I'm going to take care of you until you're all better. I can't risk losing my partner.
...
Humility's summon merged itself with him, and after so, they continued their search for Gabby.
They spent 30 more minutes, until they heard a female voice call out to them, waving her hands.
GABBY: O...over here!
Her voice was cracking, as her tears were flowing out of relief that she had finally been found.
Tanken smiled and tells her to run after them.
GABBY: You're not coming?
TANKEN: I'll be fine. Just go.
She hugged her one last time, which touched the ice spirit greatly, and lets go of her. A wonderful genuine smile painted on her face.
GABBY: I'll never forget you.
Then she ran.
Red felt so happy that she was okay. Everything around him didn't matter. His only focus was her, running towards him, arms open.
He didn't care any more.
He ran towards her back and hugged the red haired woman he loves dearly.
RED: I missed you so much...I...I can't imagine myself losing you again..
GABBY: Hey, I'm fine now. No need to say that.
Murasaki smiles and puts his jealousy behind.
Red deserves a moment with her this time.
But that doesn't mean he had given up.
He was just making way because Red really did worked hard to reunite with her.
Without him and the other reapers, he wouldn't have Gabby, the love of his life, come back safe and sound.
...
It was the last day of winter. And the sun was becoming warmer, eventually melting the ice around Japan.
Birds began tweeting loudly, as some animals came out of their deep slumber and began to search for food.
Tanken walks slowly, smiling while holding Gabby's handkerchief.
She smiles. And accepted her fate.
She reminisces one last time of her most beloved memories.
Her husbands.
Her children.
Gabby.
They had all gave her winters meaning.
She closed her eyes, as her body started to scatter to small pieces.
She sung her last winter song.
A song of love and acceptance.
The animals sung with her, feeling her joy that she could finally rest in peace.
Tanken died that winter.
For without a partner at the end of winter, without anyone accepting her songs, a snow siren cannot keep on existing.
She felt happy though, as finally, she discovered another new meaning behind the words love...
That love is selfless...and accepting.
Before she completely fades away, she thought of Red.
And how much she wanted him to get what his heart desired in the end.
For so much, she knew how deeply inlove he was with Gabby, that even the most sweetest song of love, a winter ballad, cannot trick him into loving her.
Red wasn't just in love with Gabby. For being in love fades too quickly. He loves her.
And Tanken admitted to herself that she was blessed to have witnessed that kind of love before she dies...even if it wasn't about her.
She still thinks it was beautiful.
Then after those moments...
What remained of the beautiful lady in white, was nothing more but a lifeless snow pile, eventually melting at the sun's soaring heat.
The song ends.