#eris in act two: *convinces multiple people to kill themselves*

[azatas]

eris: i never understood why you guys put me in charge. i mean i had no memories and i could barely stand without getting lightheaded

shadowheart: within hours of knowing each other you got us out of three different deadly situations just by talking

[idreamofasriel-blog]

Metal Slug Past Life Ch 12

“History of regrets, here I come.” She said sarcastically. When the bright light dimmed away, Eri gave herself a minute to let her eyes adjust and rubbed them. She's on a cobblestone street and it was a beautiful sunny day. A cool spring breeze blows and ruffles the leaves and pigeons were on the building ledges, cooing softly to each other as they survey for free food to drop at any minute. The buildings were still standing but yet there were Slug tanks parked out in the streets and Eri found some banners with a large A printed on them mixed in with The Rebels. Ripped to shred, soiled, and set on fire under the street lamp and new ones put in their place. They're the banners that bear the PF Squad's emblem along with The Regular Military and Sparrow. “Now I remember. This is the day when we celebrated our successful mission on stopping The White Baby Crisis.” said Eri. She walked down the empty streets, looking around the city and spotting more parked slug tanks and a transportation truck with The Regular Military emblem on the side. She stopped to sniff the air, there was a wavering smell of freshly cooked turkeys, dumplings, a baked ham, and other mouth-watering food and Eri ran to follow the scent of this prepared feast. Along with the delectable aroma, Eri got close to hear familiar voices talking and laughing with the accompany of dishes and silver wares clanking against each other. She stopped and spotted the large table before her and all of her friends surrounding it and she can feel the festivity in the atmosphere and see their delighted faces. Past Eri was smiling and helped passed out the food and drinks with Tarma before joining their friends to proclaim their accomplishment over The White Baby Crisis. They laughed and talked about the missions they endeared, the enemies they fought, and cities they won back from the enemies. Even Marco praised Trevor and Nadia for a job well done for their first mission and Trevor was blushing to hear his idol praising him and Nadia was giggling and hoping to do another one in the near future. Eri let out a small sighed and smiled a bit. She was glad that The Time Rift picked this part of her past rather than any of the assassination and subterfuge plots the government got her involved when they discovered her and took her in to train her to be their personal spy. She remembers her nose hurting and touched it to see if Allen O'Neil jr broke it with his gorilla-sized fists and snapped the nose back into place and reached into her bag for a first aid kit. She found a nose cast was pre-made for her and secure it over her broken nose and took her now blood soaked bandanna off to treat her head. “So, Eri. Do you got any plans after The War?” Fio asked Past Eri. Eri dropped the bottle of disinfectant and turn her attention to the table. She saw her past-self acting nervously and stalling to give them an answer. All eyes were on her and she tugged at the collar of her shirt. “I-I'm going to stay in the Military?”She smiled nervously in hopes that they would buy it. “What a bunch of lies and you know it,” Eri scolded at her past-self and stomped her foot out of rage “You had no future and you know it. I should have told them the truth...But I didn't.” she muttered. She stood in silence, looking away from them all and re-listening to all of her friends' plans for the future and feeling the set of dread for her own life setting in. Fio talking about wanting to be a Sports Doctor, Nadia was boasting about wanting to keep working for the Regular Military to live for the thrills and keep herself slim, Trevor already have plans to retire from the Regular Military and pursue a career in Cyber Security, everyone already knew what Tarma's dream goal was going to be but he bragged about it anyways; to open up his own motorcycle shop with the cash he saved up from the paychecks that The Regular Military gave him, and as for Marco, he thought about becoming a computer tech teacher or work in Cyber Security like Trevor. As time went on, multiple meals have eaten, the sunset over the buildings, giving off a breathtaking view of the sky with mix colors of pink and orange with purple clouds lazily floating over them. Street lights came on and it was time for The PF Squad and Sparrow to work together once again, this time to tackle dirty dishes, leftover food, and return the furniture back to the restaurant they borrowed from. Marco and Trevor volunteered to take the tables and chairs back while Fio and Nadia packed up any food they didn't touch to put together as meals for the recovered POWs back at Head Quarters. As for Tarma and Eri, they were left with dishes duty. They filled the tub up with warm water and soap and Eri offered to dry while Tarma washes them. “Man, I'm so stuffed right now. I won't be having any problems sleeping tonight.” Tarma chuckled and handed the dishes off to Past Eri to dry. Past Eri was quiet and took her time drying each plate off before moving on to the next one and present Eri knows why she's being like this. Tarma took his sunglasses off and tuck it in his shirt's collar to see the dishes better in what light sources they have come from the street lights. He washed another one and handed off to Past Eri, the wet plate slipped out of his grasp and shattered onto the cobblestone street. “Hey, Eri! Pay attention to what you are doing!” Tarma rebuked at her action. Past Eri didn't reply and she buried her face into her hands. Here it goes, Present Eri predicted this was going to happen anytime soon. Seeing her sobbing, a wave of guilt came over Tarma and looked at her with remorse in his eyes. “Aww, Eri. I'm sorry to yell at you and don't cry, it's just a plate and I'll help you clean it up and pay the restaurant to replace it.” “It's not that, Tarma,” She said between sobs and wiped her tears away and looked at him, “I lied. I lied to all of you when we were talking about our lives after the war.” The tears kept coming and she sniffing her nose constantly to keep them from running. Tarma can see it in her eyes and Eri has lead a secretive life long before she joined their team and took years to open up to them and express her feelings like friends would with each other. Tarma looked around for something for Past Eri to blow her nose on and wipe her eyes. All he grabbed was a dishcloth and offered it to her. She stared at him as if she was seeing this as nothing more than a sick joke but she knew that Tarma was trying to help her out to calm down and accepted it. All the chairs were gone so Tarma couldn't offer her one to sit on and suggested the bench outside a Ma and Pa store. He helped her to her seat and adjusted himself to get a clear view of Past Eri's face. “So, what's your real plan after the war then?” Tarma asked her and Past Eri shook her head. “I don't have one, Tarma. Because I feel like I have no future outside of the military. I didn't grow up in a perfect home with a mom and dad with brothers and sisters or grandparents who'll spoil me rotten. I got no one outside of the military. The gang of Street Kids I used to be their leader to growing up? They either moved on or found better lives for themselves.” she sighed and pulled her feet up and wrapped her arms around them, “I don't have computer skills like Marco and Trevor, I only know few medical skills than Fio, and I can't even customize a tricycle like you can with your motorcycle.” She buried her face into her legs, “All I know is how to blow things up, spy, and kill a man in many horrible ways.” Tarma frowned after hearing her thoughts, he never knew that she was holding all of this in and this is the woman that Tarma worked side by side every day in and out of the battlefield, the woman who would make a quick remark at any jokes with her own when he makes one toward her. Now here she is, like a scared child in the big world without her parents to hold her hands and guide her. Tarma did make a silent vow that one day, he will find Eri's parents and lashed out at them for abandoning her at birth and put her in this horrid situation. He will get the answer out of them, even if he has to use brute force to get it. “Eri,” Tarma said to her quietly and Past Eri looked at him and sniff. He reached his hands out and caressed her face gently as if he was holding the most precious thing in the world, using his thumbs to clear any more tears coming down from her cheeks. Past Eri can see Tarma's eyes has softened and wondered what's going on in that head of his she always called his coconut head when he said something ridicules in mission briefings. She sniffed and waited for him to speak. “Come home with me after The War, I'll take good care of you and you can work with me in my shop.” Past Eri sniffed and looked off at the corner of her eyes. “I don't know, Tarma.” She hesitated at the idea of being a burden to Tarma, working to support two people even if she was helping him out in his shop. “You can handle the front desk for me while I work on the customers' motorcycles in the garage.”  Tarma Spoke. It didn't convince her, he can see it on her face and gently let go of her cheeks and thinks. He rubbed his chin and thinks it over, he even got up and paced around to get the trail of thoughts going and then he stopped and that goofy grin that Past Eri recognized spread across his face, “I got a better idea and you're going to love it.” Tarma said in an ecstatic voice and Past Eri raises a brow and decided to humor the man, “All right, Tarma. What do you got for me now?” she said, wondering what idea the doofus came up with now. He placed his hands on his hips, grinning like a loon at her, “I was talking to my parents no too long ago and my mother was telling me about a self-defense teacher retiring in a few years in the city they normally visit to get groceries or dance lessons they signed up for on weekends. I have a thought just now, Eri. You'll make a great self-defense teacher. After all, I've seen you break more enemy's bones  than I would with mine.” He laughed and smiled at Past Eri. Past Eri sat in quiet and thinks it's over. It's better than being stuck behind a front desk all day, shuffling papers around, answering phones, and crunching numbers to see if Tarma's shop made any profits. Plus, she'll be helping those who can't protect themselves and get creative on many ways to hurt would be attackers too. She'll be helping the weak find their inner strength. Help the defenseless become their own strongest protector to their family, friend, and themselves. Past Eri turned her gaze onto to Tarma's and smiled. “You know what, Tarma? That's the best idea you ever came up and I love it.” Past Eri closed her eyes grinned at him and got off the bench. “I don't know. I still think strapping a jet engine to a motorcycle is the best idea.” Tarma playfully thinking about it and Past Eri gave him a light punch on the arm, “Again with that death trap? You might as well ask me to blow you up.” she giggled. Eri giggling like a teenage girl was like music to Tarma's ears. It gave a great feeling that Eri did shed away that lonesome shell she developed over the years and all it took is great friends to crack it wide open. Tarma took a glance at a nearby street clock and let out a long whistle, “We better finish the dishes and catch up with the others before they come looking for us to see if we got kidnapped or worst.” She agreed and followed Tarma back to the tub with the water now feeling lukewarm to the touch and the soap suds barely there anymore. “Thank you for helping me out, Tarma.” said Past Eri. “What's this? Miss Kasamoto thanking the handsome Mr. Roving The Third for helping her?” he teased and Past Eri rolled her eyes at him playfully. “You're such a dweeb, Tarma.” Past and Present Eri said in unison. Tarma laughed, “I'm your Dweeb, Eri and you know it.” As they went back their dishes duty, the world around Eri faded away into a bright light and back into the present where she belonged. The starry sky greeted her and the gentle breeze of summer tussled her bangs around, Eri is laying in the middle of the road and tried to get up with her only good arm. She grabbed her bandanna she tucked away in her belt and made it into a makeshift sling, for now, to cradle her broken arm in. The Rebels are long gone now but traces of boot prints, tires tracks heading toward the farm house and the wrecked motorcycle is what they left behind. Shell casings of the M60 littered the roadside and Eri figured that Allen O'Neil shot them off to get her friends or he did it out of a fit of rage over her escape. She turned around when a car's engine grew louder and the headlights drew closer to her and she drew a gun out and steady it to shot any Rebels that Morden may have send out to look for her for the second time. The car came to a rolling stop and the engine gone idle and climbing out of both driver and passenger side is Fio and Nadia. “Nadia! She's alive!” Fio shouted gleefully and runs to Eri. “I told you Eri is one smart cookie to get herself out of danger. Cookies sound good right about now.” Nadia said and joined Fio and Eri. Fio frowned, she saw the blood on Eri's face, the broken nose in a cast, and her arm in a sling. “Oh, Eri. They roughed you up, didn't they?” said Fio, walking her friend to the car they stole from General Morden with Nadia's help. “That big ape, Allen shot at my motorcycle and blew the tires out. If it wasn't for The Time Rift suddenly appearing, I would have been road kill by now.” “You didn't have a horrible experience with it, did you?” Nadia asked Eri, concern what grisly part of her life it might have shown her and Eri smiled and shook her head, “No, Nadia. Thankfully, it didn't. All it did is renew my hopes of a better life for me.” Fio and Nadia looked at each other and wondered what Eri was talking about. Fio opened the car's door for the back seat and instructed her to lay down and secure her in place. She stared up through the sunroof of the car to the clear starry sky and thought back on The Time Rift she experiences. The conversations, Tarma's suggestion to becoming a Self-Defense teacher, and the huge feast they had to celebrate White Baby's defeat. All the fighting and sneaking around tonight made Eri tired. Nadia checked on her once in awhile to make sure she's okay while Fio drove. The lulling of the night gave comfort to the young lady and Eri drifted off to a peaceful slumber.