Saihate

A/N: ... I... I don't know. It was supposed to come out a little solemn but this suddenly went from that to... something that isn't. Maybe. I think. *headdesks*

***

The long stretch of white that she stood on was one amongst many that glowed in the dark void, scattering across the dark expanse like broken piano chords. Beside her was a man she had thought to be her other half, her counterpart, her soul mate. And he still is, even after all that has been said and done. The hand holding hers never once let go of hers even as they drew nearer towards a door of light on the other end.

It was as if a veil had lifted from her mind. With each forward step, memories quietly flowed back, flashing images that which had been long kept away ever since she landed in this plane of existence. The same could be said of her partner. To be accepted into the world that they were now leaving, many aspects of themselves had to be kept away. At this moment there was no need to have what was rightfully theirs kept from them.

An old friend stood a few yards away from them, greeting them with hands outstretched and a benevolent smile etched on his face. A smile of her own couldn't help but form on her face.

How long has it been since she had last seen that smiling face as more than part of a vague dream?

A long time, she would answer. A terribly long time. So long that he was someone who she had almost forgotten.

“Welcome back, Children.” The man who appeared in her dreams spoke, his powerful voice laced in gentleness. Even with hair as white as snow, pulled back into a loose ponytail, his youthful appearance fooled everyone who ever wondered on how old this man was. He was dressed in a simple minstrel’s outfit, as he had once said that it befitted him more than a priest or a knight’s would.

“Lachesis!” She beamed, rushing over to embrace him. It felt as if her soul had been unfettered, and finally found the release it wanted. Laughter escaped the man, his purple eyes twinkling merrily in amusement.

Once upon a time, in a story of a world now lying in sleep, he had been a guardian –in the loosest of terms- to the knight who was her predecessor. When she had joined all the others to rest in Arcadia, it was Lachesis who chose to stay behind to watch over the Children of the New World.

"Blue! I hope you're not ditching me for him." Said her companion jokingly.

Kiara flashed him an exasperated smile just as Lachesis settled her back on the ground, giving her and her companion a scrutinizing look before saying, “Enjoyed the time you were there?”

“I don’t think it’s much of a welcome back compared to a ‘Finally we’re leaving that place for good’-”

“Saint!” She was quick to chastise her lover.

“What? I was only being honest.” Her partner argued. He gave her a look crossed between a pout and a hint of irritation. She was about to bite back a retort when the older man coughed to gather their attention once again, giving the couple a mild disproving look. She felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment as she quickly muttered an apology.

“You are forgiven, Kiara.” The snow haired minstrel spoke, sighing when he saw Saint shrugging and looking away. “Putting that aside, are you certain you want to leave this world behind?”

Kiara’s face softened into one that was contemplating regret, but at the same time, there was a steeliness in her eyes that couldn’t be ignored. “We have made our decisions.” Saint came to Kiara’s side, his face set in reflection of his wife’s. “And there’s no changing them, I’m afraid.” The high priest finished.

Lachesis closed his eyes and spoke, “I am just reminding you that you were born with a choice, both of you.”

“There’s nothing left for us there. You know that, Lala-san.” Saint retorted. “The moment Hai-kun withdrew, we knew. We didn’t have much time left before we needed to return. Besides, what can we do without her?”

We are her voice, just as she is our voice. Without her, without us, who are we in the face of that world? The thought ran through the female crusader’s mind.

“It’s not as if there’s any need for us to stick around when our existences have basically been wiped clean off the slate. We’d be ghosts with no influence.”

“And the people who you would be leaving behind? What about them?”

A moment of silence passed between them.

“Don’t make this harder than it already is.” It was Kiara who spoke, softly though, as if speaking any louder would bring untold judgment upon her.

Lachesis didn’t need more answers than that. “Very well.” And he turned, walking towards the door from which tendrils of magic coiled and curled around the door’s frame. The familiarity of the world beyond it called to them, whispering for them like a mother calling to her Children.

Come home. Come home. It seemed to say.

“But, like I have said,” Lachesis voice came floating to their ears. “You do have a choice. You can choose to forget everything of that world and return to once was, or continue to live on with the memories until the next.”

Kiara mulled the words over and over in her head. True, they could live on with the memories but it would be somewhat painful to bear. A hand suddenly dropped on her pauldron and she flinched, pushing that hand away until she realized it was only Saint.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“Penny for your thoughts?” He grinned, pocketing his hands in his robes. She nodded in consent, and the man continued, “You know, it’s just me but, it’s not like we’re going to be completely removed from the people we still want to talk with. I mean, I would trade a thousand other existences just to keep playing with the interesting ones.” Unfortunately for those people, Saint was very sincere about this.

Kiara rose one delicate brow. “Somehow I feel sorry for them.” She said as Saint laughed. Still, the crusader was doubtful. “It is only you who would be missed though.”

“What? Hel, no way. Do you see how much those guys leer at me? Wait, no. Of course you wouldn’t. No offense, Blue.”

“But your annoying presence is what makes you appealing.”

“That sounded very demeaning, Blue. I am hurt.” He placed a hand on his heart with mock pain on his face. Kiara didn’t find it entirely funny.

Saint quickly dropped the act when she shot him that look. “Alright, alright. I’ll let you wallow in your denial pool. But I am telling you, there are people who like you, me, and us. We can still be ‘us’ to them. You can still be ‘you’ to them. We can still meet with them in those small worlds that we hanged out in most of the time.”

“So, the phantom worlds...?”

“Exactly the phantom worlds.” Saint chuckled, ruffling her hair. In that moment in time, the two shared a quiet understanding no words could properly explain. A call from Lachesis standing by the door called them back to their present state, so they continued to walk.

“... Are you still keeping that scar, Saint?”

“This?” He lightly traced the scar running across his nose bridge. His mood seemed to darken for a moment, before a mischievous smile shown in his face. “... Why not? At least I’ll be distinguishable from the other bastard.”

Whatever makes him happy to call his predecessor, she guessed. “And your eyes?” She pointed to his bright green orbs.

He tapped his cheek thoughtfully. “I could decide on returning them to red if that’s-”

“Keep them that way.” She interrupted him.

“What?”

Kiara refused to meet eyes with him when he looked at her. “I said keep them that way.” She muttered, increasing her pace towards the door. She half-expected Saint to question her request, but she was somehow relieved that he didn’t bother asking about it. He easily came up to her side, matching her strides. She could feel his eyes on her, and from the corner of her eyes, she can tell that he had that trademark smile on his face.

“You’re blushing.” Sheer amusement was practically dripping from his tone. She wanted to stop, but that would only prolong her suffering.

“What if I am?”

“You like my eyes, don’t you? I can imagine it now. You, my angel, declaring that these beautiful eyes the color of leaves in spring compliments your eyes that have a whole sky contained in them!” He spoke in a jesting tone. She mentally noted to herself to wipe the floor later with his face.

Casting a face splitting grin above as he spun once, Saint continued, “Like the earth and the sky, bounded together in natural matrimony until the universe comes to a chilling end. You and I-”

She resisted slapping a hand to her face out of habit. “Priest. Drop it.”

“Why should I? It’s not every day I get to see you smile and blush like a virgin with her first crush.” He let out a chuckle shortly after, which led her to thinking that he needed to do something about that personality. But then again, his personality wasn’t entirely something made for that world for the sake of that world. He had been formed from a predecessor who was a jerk and a tease. It was only logical that he would wound up with the same traits, albeit more charming in its deliberate mellowness.

Unfortunately and fortunately for her.

At last, the gateway was only a few steps away. The hum of their world thrummed in their veins, beckoning them to take those last steps forward and into a land they could only visit in their deepest slumber for the past two years.

“-- Wonder if that jerkass is still hanging around. I hope that even if he’s my original, he doesn’t attempt to make passes at you. And you better not answer his calls, that’s a betrayal of trust right there-”

“Just shut it until we get home.”

The priest laughed, but said no more. Instead he pulled her hand, bringing her close as his lips descended on hers for a passionate kiss. She hadn’t prepared for it, and was left breathless and weak kneed. Hadn’t he been holding onto her, she would have crumpled to her knees from the kiss alone.

She’d forgotten just how easily Saint turned her into a mush when he was in the mood for it.

“You sneak...” She growled non-threateningly. A hand stroked against her cheek lovingly before running through her hair. Kiara tried hard not to lean into the touch more, even when she felt her cheeks grow warm from the intimate touches. Slowly, the other hand supporting her let go, making its way to cup her other cheek whilst Saint leaned down again for another. This time, the kiss was anticipated and turned slow and sultry but just as passionate as the first had been.

Reluctantly they parted, but his hand was still on her cheek and the other stroking her hair. Kiara looked at Saint with a hazy gaze, still lost in the euphoria of the moment. When had it suddenly felt too warm?

“This time, I hope things will work out better between us.”

“Would it?”

“It will. I promise you as much.” He spoke, lightly patting her cheek as he supported her by the elbow and continued to walk towards the door. It seemed that Lachesis hadn't gone ahead and was in fact, still standing by the gate. It would be terribly foolish for Kiara to think that he hadn't seen what had gone on between her and Saint at all. The amused expression she saw on his face made her inwardly cringe, but it was without malice. At least she was thankful he wouldn't be talking about it to anyone else.

Just when they were a step away from the light, Saint suddenly stopped. The hand holding her elbow gripping her tight and pulling her back to his side just as a boot was an inch from the door.

She peered at him, suddenly curious of the blank expression on his face. “... Saint?”

“Hey, Blue. Remember the last time we went through one of these doors?”

“What about it?”

“Well if you remembered it right, we were technically falling through the sky.”

“...”

“Hai-kun has a thrilling sense of where to put gateways, doesn’t she?” The grin that suddenly graced his face was not comforting at all.

“Saint, you’re not-”

But it was too late as she was roughly shoved into the gateway, hearing a peal of laughter just as she felt the wind whipping her hair wildly about and the cloudy blue skies appearing above her.

And below her.

End Entry.