Summary: Raine is brainwashed. They have no control over their actions. When they come to it, they wake up to a startling, horrifying reality. Raine was forced to fight against Eda. And they might have won.

Angst warning: ANGSTY

Mature/Trigger Warning: Major character death, mind-control, hurting a loved one, self-loathing, death, anxiety, depressive thinking, blood and gore, watching a loved one die

Raine felt as if they were just waking up from a dreamless night. They couldn't remember a thing since Kikimora had captured them, but judging by the way their body acted, Raine assumed some time must have passed. A month, at the very least, but they weren't sure how long. Long enough to make their bones and body ache, through.

Raine looked around, taking in their surroundings. Just as they suspected, they were in the throne room in the emperor's castle. But the room didn't look regal in any sense of the word. The room was a mess; things were carelessly thrown around; glass from windows and other things lied shattered, scattered around the messy room; thick blood litter the normally regal floors; and the whole room smelled of death and other foul smells. Raine felt their green eyes widen with dread. Belos could have made them done anything when they were mind-controlled. Anything. Who did I hurt?

Raine's gaze flickered to feet away from them, fearful of what they were going to see. Nothing had prepared them for the sight that met their eyes. A gargled sound escaped their lips.

Lying, slumped on the ground, and barely moving, was Eda. She was bleeding from all over but there was a spot that Raine's eyes kept flickering toward. A horrible-looking gash ripped through Eda's stomach. She was losing a lot of blood from the gash. Eda was paler than the moon and she was struggling to keep her eyes open. Her gray hair was crazier and more matted than ever before and drenched thoroughly with blood. Raine felt as if they were going to get sick. What in the Titian had they done?

"Eda..." Raine moaned, the name barely rolling off their tongue. Eda titled her head to the sound of the voice, a small smile dancing on her lips. 

"Hey, Rainestorm," Eda muttered, brokenly. "How you holding up?"

"Forget about me," Raine whispered to their soulmate, dropping to their knees beside her. "You're my biggest concern at the moment."

"Aww, that's cute," Eda whispered, the small smile still on her face. "Corny, of course, but cute."

"It was me, wasn't it?" Raine breathed.

"Hmmm?" Eda momentarily closed her eyes and took a few shaky breaths in and out. "What's that?"

"It was me," Raine repeated, their words barely a whisper. "I'm the one who did this to you."

Eda hesitated before answering. That's all that Raine needed. They had hurt Eda. Badly. What kind of witch hurt their friend in such horrible ways? A monster, that's who. I'm a monster, Raine thought. A dangerous, horrible monster.

"N... No," Eda managed out. Raine frowned. Lies, Raine thought, you're lying, Eda. "I'm not lying," Eda coughed out as if she could read Raine's thoughts. "Look, made you 'attacked' me, but that wasn't you. That was Belos through you so no, this was not your fault."

What Eda was saying making sense but still. Raine had hurt Eda. Gravely injured her, in fact, and Raine would have to live with that forever and ever until the day they breathed their last.

"Hey, don't look like... that," Eda reached out, weakly taking their hands in her. Raine looked away; they couldn't bare to look at Eda like this, after what they did to her. They couldn't bare to see the pain and damage they did to the witch that meant more than the entire world to them. "Raine. Rainestorm, look at me."

Raine did as they were told, their eyes filled with pain and tears. A whimper escaped their lips before they could stop it. Eda stared up at them, her eyes soft and calming. But Eda wasn't fooling Raine. No, Raine knew that the soft and calm demeanor was just an act. They could see pain, anguishing pain, behind Eda's soft and calming demeanor.

"I'm... I'm sorry," Raine breathed, not knowing what else to say. What else do you say to something like this? "I hurt you, I'm a monster."

"Ha, a monster?" Eda let out a bark of a laugh. "You? My Rainestorm? My beautiful, wonderful Rainestorm, is not a monster."

My? Raine thought. Did she just call me her Rainestorm? No, Raine shook their head. They mustn't be thinking about that at the moment. There were bigger, much more important things to be worrying and fretting about. Like how Eda's breath was significantly slowing down and how she couldn't seem to keep up the calm and soft demeanor.

"But I hurt you," Raine breathed out. Eda had to strain to hear them. "I hurt you, Eda. Badly, too. Just... just look at you. You're bleeding because of me, Eda, because of me. You have a freaking gash down your stomach because of me!" By now, Raine's voice had risen to a high-pitched wail. They couldn't bear to think about what happened to Eda. What they did to her. She was still losing blood somehow and she was pale enough that she was practically transparent. Her normally gray hair was darkened with blood and her eyes could barely focus. She was dying on Raine. She was dying and it was all their fault. Raine wanted to scream. To cry. To find a way to switch it, to save Eda, to be the one dying, not her. They deserved to die, not Eda. Never Eda.

"It's... It's not your fault!" Eda snapped. "What are you not getting about that, Raine?! Huh? It's not your freaking fault!"

Raine was startled by Eda's sudden outburst. They had expected Eda to be mad, how could she not, but they hadn't expected her to be mad about this. They thought she would be mad that they had attacked her, hurt her. But no, she was upset that they were blaming themselves. But I was their fault, was it not? And why was Eda trying to make it seem like it wasn't? Raine wanted to ask about this but one glance at Eda and Raine knew she didn't have a lot of time left. Raine needed to know what happened, stat.

"What..." Raine took a deep breath and tried again. "What happened?"

"Hmm?" Eda asked, her eyes closing for a few minutes. Raine panicked but Eda forced her eyes opened and looked up at them.

"What... What happened...? I mean, you know, when I... attacked you."

"Oh. That," Eda frowned. "I can't tell you."

"Please!" Raine wailed. "I need to know." Eda didn't say anything. "Please, Eda, I deserve to know."

Eda looked up at Raine and sighed. They were right; they deserved to know what had happened. Eda knew if the roles were reversed, she would be wanting to know how she hurt them.

"Okay... here's what happened."

Eda explained how she, Luz, and King had come to the emperor's castle to rescue someone. She purposely left out that Raine was the said person they were rescuing but Eda knew that Raine pieced together the clues and assumed that they were the witch who was being rescued. So it's all my fault, Raine thought to themselves. Eda came here to rescue me and I hurt her. She wouldn't be in this situation if it weren't for me. She'd be so much better off without me. Eda continued the story. How Raine's eyes were glowing red and how they were standing next to Belos, ridged, nothing like their normal self. The look of complete and total disgust they gave Eda. The taunts that Raine whispered to her, not that Eda said what those taunts were but Raine knew they must have hurt judging by the way Eda paused and her voice was breaking despite trying to stay strong as she told Raine about them. How Belos forced Eda to fight Raine. And how Eda refused to fight back as Raine began to throw spell after spell at her.

"You didn't fight back? But why?" Raine asked, eyes wide with confusion.

"Because, I couldn't risk hurting you," Eda muttered. "I tried to block spells you threw at me but I didn't try to harm you in any way. I knew that it wasn't really, and truly, you. And I would never forgive myself if I had hurt you."

"You should have..." Raine whispered. "You should have fought back, you should have killed me. I'm a monster, I don't deserve to live."

"Slush," Eda said. "Don't talk like that, Rainestom. Okay? This isn't your fault, nope not at all."

Raine didn't say anything regarding what Eda just told them. Instead, they stared at Eda and frowned, "How did you get me to come back?"

"Oh," Eda smiled. "I just played our song. Eda's Requiem. A pretty song if you ask me." 

Raine, despite themselves, felt a smile creep onto their lips. "You don't hate me?" They finally asked. How could she not hate them? Raine honestly already hated themselves.

"Hate you? I could never hate you, Raine. I love you, okay?" Eda smiled, but the pain was written all over her face.

"You do?" Raine frowned. Eda still loved them? Even after all these years?

"Does this answer your question?" Eda asked and then, before Raine could respond, Eda pushed herself up for a moment or two, giving Raine a quick kiss before falling back down in a crumpled heap.

Raine stared at Eda in shock. Eda was still in love with them? They had honestly believed that Eda didn't love them anymore. It had been, after all, over thirty years since they broke up. They thought Eda would have moved on. Raine hadn't, of course. You don't move on from Edalyn Clawthrone. Eda was the type of witch that had love and happiness glistening off of her and a glow that could light up even the darkest of hearts. She was, in every word, practically perfect in every way. A person you consider yourself lucky if you were friends with them, you were beyond lucky if they started to date you. And years, decades even, afterward, you were still just head over heels for them as you were when you first met. Eda was special, someone you wait your entire life to meet. But Raine? Raine was as ordinary as they came. There was nothing special about them. They were boring next to the simplest of people, completely dull next to someone as bright and radiant as Eda. Yet, here they were, and Eda still seemed to think they were special. Raine was ready to tell Eda this, that no, they were not special, no siree, when there was a sound from behind the two of them.

Raine's head snapped towards the sound, ready to defend the dying Eda with their life, to their last breath. Who was walking towards them? Emperor Belos? Kikimora? Someone just as equally dangerous? But, no, just a teen girl and a small, demon-looking dog on her shoulder. Raine felt themselves relaxing, just for a moment, through. Raine knew the pair, they recognized them. Eda's kids; the human and Eda's weird, terrifying but small, pet demon.

"Eda..." the teen whispered, tears filling her brown eyes. "Please be okay."

Eda weakly tilted her head to the other side, towards her two children. Rain couldn't tell from where they were standing, but they were pretty sure Eda had tears in her eyes as she addressed her kids. She gave them a weak, broken smile, "Luz... come here kiddo."

Lose? Raine thought. Or Luz?

The teen — Lose? Luz? — dropped to her knees on the other side of Eda, blinking her brown eyes fast and furious, to keep the tears at bay, Raine had assumed. Raine watched, transfixed, as Eda reached out and cupped the human's face with her hands, brushing away some of the tears that had started to pour down the girl's face.

"Hey, don't cry," Eda whispered in a soft, calming tone. Raine stared. The Eda they knew was never this motherly. "It's okay, Luz. It's going to be okay."

"N... no it's not!" Luz whispered back. Raine had guessed that the name must be Luz and not Lose. "You aren't going to be okay!"

"Mmm, maybe not," Eda gave the teen another smile. "But you are, and that's all that matters to me. You're safe..." Raine felt more tears prickle their eyes. The teen obviously cared deeply about Eda, but that one was logical, how could you not care about her? But Eda seemed to care just as deeply, if not more, for the teen. Eda wasn't known to care for anyone but herself. Some people called it selfish but Raine knew the truth. Eda did it because she thought she was dangerous, because she thought people were better off without her.

"Eda!" the teen wailed and then flung her arms around Eda's neck, burying her face into Eda, sobbing loudly, her shoulders shaking from the crying. "Don't... please don't leave me."

And to Raine's complete shock, Eda held the child in her arms, trying to comfort her. But her voice was stammering and stumbling and her eyes were dropping and Raine felt their heart stop. Eda was about to die.

The demon, which Raine learned was named King and was Eda's adopted son, curled into a ball on Eda's chest. Luz was still clutching onto Eda like she was a lifeline, still sobbing loudly. Raine clutched onto Eda's other hand.

"I love you, King," Eda breathed out, her voice breaking as she addressed the small demon. "Stay safe, okay? I'm so glad you came into my life... And King? Don't try to conquer any kingdoms without Luz's help."

"E...Eda?" King whimpered. "Eda, no... no. Please don't go..."

"I'm sorry," she whispered then turned her graze to Luz, who was still hugging her but now looked up at Eda, eyes filled with pain and tears but something else. Love. "I love you too, Luz. Take care of King and Hooty for me, okay? Stay the loving, happy, optimistic witch I know and love. And Luz... thank you for being in my life."

"Eda!" the teen sobbed. "Don't say that! You're going to be fine, just fine!"

"You and me both know that's not true," Eda managed to get out before a wave of tears poured down her face. She struggled to keep them at bay as she turned her head to Raine. "Raine... I... I love you, you know...  I always loved you and I always will. Promise... Promise me after I... I die... you'll find someone else, okay? Another witch, a better witch. Someone you deserve, who gives you everything you ever want and deserve. Some that you love more than the entire world."

"But you're... you're the only one I want," Raine whispered.

"No, you'll find someone better than me," Eda muttered then her eyes fluttered shut. Raine's eyes widened.

"Eda?" they whispered, their voice fearful. "Eda?!" Raine shook their friend, slowly at first then with much force. Eda didn't even stir. "Eda! Eda, no, no, please no... come on Eda, open up your eyes, don't do this to me, to us. Come on, we need you... just... Eda, please... Eda... they... they need you... I need you."

Eda didn't stir. Her eyes stayed closed, her head limp to the side. King looked frozen, his eyes wide as he sat on his mom's chest, feeling numb to the bone. Luz lifted her head up, staring at Eda, giving her a hard shake, and then frowned, an idea crosses her mind. Raine watched as Luz dropped her head to Eda's chest, trying to hear a heartbeat. Luz's eyes widen and she lifted her head back up again, staring at Raine as tears filled her eyes.

"Her... her heart stopped."

"N...No," Rain shook their head. No, Eda couldn't be dead! "No, she's fine, she has to be fine... she can't be dead, please Titan no... Eda... please!"

"Mommy!" King sobbed. "No!"

But Raine knew. They knew deep down, the truth they were trying to deny. Eda was gone, forever, and it was all their fault. Raine wanted to scream but when they tried, no sound came out. They scraped at the air above them for a moment before they realized that Eda's kids were staring at them. They dropped their hands to their lap, wrapping their arms around themselves and hugging tightly, eyes squeezed shut.

When Raine force their eyes opened, King had crawled into Luz's lap and Luz had wrapped her arms around the demon. She reached over his head, gently taking off a necklace that Raine hadn't seen before off of Eda's neck. Luz held the necklace, it was a gold chain with a circle-looking thing hanging off of it. Raine had never seen the circle, it seemed to have a design in it. Luz caught them staring as she put the necklace on and she gave a sad smile. "It's a glyph," she whispered. "How humans do magic... And Eda, actually... This one's the light glyph, I gave it to her for her birthday... my name means l...light in Spanish."

Raine didn't know what to say so they just nodded. The teen clutched onto the necklace like a lifeline, looking ready to cry. Raine wanted to do something for Eda, to thank her for all she had done for them, for being the reason Raine's life had any meaning, as a memorial. But what?

"That was pretty," Luz whispered after Raine finished the song on their violin. Raine looked up, they had forgotten the teen and demon were with them. Mostly, this would cause Raine's face to turn fifty shades of pink and they would look away. But, for some weird reason, they didn't. "What was it called?"

Raine's Raspady. The words were right there on Raine's tongue. But when they opened their mouth to say that, those words didn't come out of their mouth. "Raine's Requiem," they whispered, smiling shyly. "It's called Raine's Requiem."