Disclaimer: I make no profit out of this, so no; I don't own it.

Warnings: Reference to what was said in chapter 11/end of volume three.

A/N: Can't honestly say much about this one, now that I think about it. Yeah, it seems to go around in circles, very tragic, still short, and… yes. That's about it with this one.

Locked in a Cage
12
(More Faithful)

They're dead… they're dead they're dead they'redeadthey'redeathey'redead…

And it was all her fault; she knew it was.

Despite everything, no matter how hard they had tried, there was one truth that could not be ignored; one could not change the future. Despite knowing what would happen, and the desperation to prevent it, they had been unable to change anything.

It was possible that they might have altered the course in one way or another, but they would always end up at that one, singular point.

Dead.

They're dead.

Kazune had died to save her.

Michiru had been killed while protecting her.

Jin was lost; his mind had shattered and no one could save him. No one. (The only one who possibly could was gone.)

When she looked back at it, she knew it was her fault. But blame could not bring back the lives of lost loved ones, and she was not foolish enough to even contemplate it.

They had lost, but so had the other side. In the end, they were all losers in this twisted game of fate, and it was to be. Always, forever, into eternity; even if she tried to send her son back again to the past, it would only relive painful memories.

It came to her.

We are only human, after all. This is wrong – all of this is wrong!

Even at the end, Karin would hold dear to her the memories of those closest to her, and try to move on.