I Hate This Part (Rhyma)

Karma was pacing.

She had to break it to Rhysie. He had to know his place. She didn't want to do it, she hated hurting people emotionally. Physically always healed, but emotions.... they took longer.

She knew that.

She went from one end of the table to the other, debating, debating. What was the best way to break it to him? What was the way that wouldn't make him feel as bad as he could? How...?

But she was summoning him with her unease and indecision, even though she didn't want to.

Rhys strolled into the kitchen, yawning and mussing up his hair. He gave a sly grin to Karma, meandering over to her. She had been calling him and it made him strangely vivid, even after she had blown him off at the party.

"Karma, " he purred, wrapping her in a hug. "You look sad,"

He appeared before she had any kind of idea what to say, before she had any inkling of what would make him feel better.

She sighed when he hugged her. She shouldn't feel this comfortable around him. She shouldn't...

"Rhys." She said softly, her eyes on the ground as she stepped out of his arms. "I need to tell you something."

Rhys paused and looked deep into her eyes. Behind his blue irises, his brain was working to find out what she was going to say.

"Karma, What-" Then he realized. She was going to break up with him. Well, they weren't really dating, but...

"No. Don't say it," he said flatly, "I'm not allowing it,"

She looked into his eyes a small piece of her died a little. "Rhys... It's just..." She looked away from him, not able to face the hurt.

"It's only the addiction!" She said, her eyes wide and pleading. "I know it is! You don't really love me." She dropped her voice. "It's only the endorphins. You're only trying to be with me so I don't find someone else to feed on. I won't. I promise. We just shouldn't act like this is something it's not."

Rhys roughly grabbed her shoulders, his face shoved close to hers.

"Don't. Say that!" he hissed, "Don't tell me what I feel! You don't- You don't-"

He pulled away, shaking his head. A strange calm washed over his face as he turned away.

"Nevermind," he murmured, "Leave, go ahead. But, don't expect me to come back for you. There's other vampires out there. I don't need you,"

Karma looked up at his turned back, her heart breaking. "I didn't want to hurt you." She said, her eyes full of pain, but her voice cold. "But go ahead. Find another vampire. You aren't the only human on the planet." She stepped around him, her features decidedly closed as she looked up at him. Her eyes daring him to do something. "Don't you dare believe I need you."

Rhys shrugged, unaffected.

"Your words don't hurt, Karma, " he turned around, smiling almost kindly. He started to pad around the room, thinking.

"You know, I believe in karma, Karma," he laughed at the pun, "You tried to hurt me, now someone else is going to have to hurt.

"Maybe some other Snakes, since you can't be bothered with friends." he stopped padding, "Someones going to get hurt, Karma, and it's going to be all your fault,"

He started for the door. "Remember that,"

Karma looked at him, trully looked at him. He was a psychopath. And she cared for him.

"DON'T YOU DARE HURT ARSEN!" She yelled at him, taking the closest thing to her and throwing it at his head. The plate just missed him, smashing into the wall in front of him and shattering into a million pieces. Yes, he'd said snakes, but the only Slytherin that she cared about... the only snake she could honestly say she would miss... She would not be responsible for him getting hurt again. He could go after anyone else, ANYONE, but not Demon Boy.

.....Because .......she owed him..... Yes. That was it. Even though his scars were flashing before her eyes, even though his words were in her ears, even though she could feel the warmth of her hand in his sometimes. No. She owed him. That was it.

Rhys didn't flinch when the plate hit the wall, or when a piece flew back and cut his face, but he flinched when she said Arsen's name. He turned around, an anger rising in his eyes.

"Something is going to happen around here, Karma," he threatened, "And no one will be unaffected- I promise you that much,"

Karma looked up at him, seeing the cut that she'd given him, but not reacting to it. "Nothing you will do again will catch my attention." She said, her eyes full of hatred and hurt. "You can burn the castle to the ground, you can slaughter every living being inside, but I will never, ever, acknowledge you again." She stepped forward, getting in his personal space, her hands clenched in fists. "I won't even do you the honor of killing you."

"The second you walk out that door, intending to hurt or kill anyone, you're dead to me."

"That's funny," Rhys turned around, a certain mad wetness behind his eyes. "I could have sworn I was already dead,

"One day, you'll look back and realize I would have loved you ten times more than he ever could," he whispered, almost fondly. He wanted to pull her close and feel her warmth and smell her scent. He wanted to forget about the world and love her and only her again, " Goodbye, Karma,"

But his destiny didn't want that to happen.

Karma tried to hide her response to his words, but it hurt. It hurt so much.

"I will never look back." She whispered. "Never."

She bit her lip and looked at the ground, all the fire and fight in her gone. "Goodbye.... Rhysie...."

Rhys reached for the door handle, pausing to look back. Pain filled his eyes, a rare sight for the psychopath.

"I was going to wish you two luck, you know. But I can't." he opened the door, facing the darkness of the hallway. "I just can't."

"You won't look back," he whispered, "But, I will,

Then he left, the only words in his head repeating over and over.

Goodbye, love. I did it all for you,

Karma watched him go, a small part of her dying. She'd never believed he would actually leave. She didn't...

She sat heavily at the table, her eyes going to the plate of brownies the elves placed there.

She shivered, and suddenly was gone, running down the corridors, running away from everything , running to nothing. She ran and she ran and she ran, out of the castle, around the grounds, until she was hidden under a step in the Slytherin Stands.

There, and only there, did she allow herself to cry.