[Hey guys, I just wanted to say that this is mostly a Kingdom Hearts fanfiction with a mix of Final Fantasy, but on the other hand, this also has a bit of "self-made" characters xD Just saying~ :3 By the way, the characters in this chapter are made by me except one :O so... I really hope you enjoy it and I also hope you write lot of reviews and such blah blah blah~ xDD oh and don't mind the quote in the beginning, ]
They keep coming. These flashes. I'm not sure what causes them… but they won't go away. Every night's the same, I fall asleep and they just appear. These blurred images. Why are they appearing? Why do they appear to me? I feel as if they are chasing me in circles, waiting for me to tire. I don't know how much longer I can put up with this. These dreams show me the same images. I always see the same thing. But to fully understand these visions, you have to begin with the end, and end with the beginning.
"In this dimension, our fates are as twisted and unreal as that of another. Whatever choices you make, be sure it's the right one. I won't be there to save you..."
–Our Sin's Lullaby.
Shouran's knees gave way as he finds himself stumbling onto the sand of purgatory. A dry, desolate landscape containing an endless stretch of shoreline and the gleaming sun above. Leaning forward, his hands soon extend to be placed on the ground as well. His breathing pace was fast, his mind still racing with the thoughts of the events that had just taken place right before his very eyes. Shouran's vision begins to come to a blur while starring at the pale shaded earth beneath him.
How could he let such things come to? The only cogitable thought remaining in his head would be 'Why didn't I just die?'Though he knew why. She wouldn't let him. Suddenly he found himself chuckling at the thought, the young blonde simply smiled a smile filled with remorse. Blinking slightly, he retaliated back into reality. Blood was still dripping down his face staining the lush pale beige of the sand beneath him. Shouran's arms were shaking uncontrollably over the fact that all he had done was for nothing.
Clutching the sand, blood was slowly filling the ground from the open wounds on his palms. He began to make way to his feet, a task that was very difficult at the moment. Once risen from the ground he snarled at his own strength feeling as though he was a child again. Stumbling at first, he tries to regain balance and continued his venture.
The gash on his abdomen had begun to bother him more than usual while continuing to walk alongside the water. Venturing for a moment more, Shouran places a hand on his wound, hoping to ease the pain. It didn't. Shortly after a few excruciating steps, he raises his head and sees a woman standing beside the water. She stood there motionless with no expression on her face. She also had many wounds on her, although her condition was far worse than that of Shouran's. The girls long and thin red hair was swaying in the wind, her eyes fixated on the horizon.
A look of horror struck Shouran's face as he remembers the red haired girl and starts to quicken his pace towards her. "Ashley!" his voice rasped as he called out to her. The girl simply turns her head slightly to view him, a weak smile forming on her face. As he neared her side the girl took a step forward and started to falter to the ground as she attempted to take another. Shouran catches her before she touches the ground, being brought down himself by her weight. Not noticing a call from someone that was nearby in the distance, his sparkling blue eyes filled with tears as he starred into the violet eyes of the girl he called his friend, Ashley Lockheart.
Ashley smiled once again and looked up at him as she laid there in his arms. Shouran simply looked back helplessly, knowing he could not do anything to save her. Tears now flooding down his face he began to whisper to her. "Ashley," he began, "are you-." his words trailed on, not knowing what to say.
A gentle hand had cupped his cheek, the crimson haired girl simply blinked slowly and spoke in a quiet tone. "I'm glad that I was able to meet you." Her eyes were lowering as slowly as that rose, smiling at him until her last breath. S wince of pain made her change her expression into one of pain and then Ashley's head drifted to the side touching his chest. She was now lifeless.
Shouran was silent. He couldn't believe that was it. How could this happen? Right here, of all places. He spoke lightly and with disbelief, "…Ashley?" not getting a response he repeated. "Ashley?" Ashley's hand began to ease away from his face. Tears were falling from his eyes and stained his cheeks. Shouran quickly grasped Ashley's hand before it could fall onto her delicate body. "No!" he barred his teeth in agony, "You can't leave me here!" Holding her hand still, he lowered his face to her torso, pouring every last drop of tears he had left. She died. Shouran was desprately searching for the warmth that had surrounded her, and yet he couldn't find it. Her chest no longer moved. No smile was on her face. Just a dull, pale, lifeless body left cradled in his arms. In alarm Shouran raises his head to look in the direction of splashes coming from the ocean. There he saw yet another familiar face, Sora Fang.
Sora was swimming for only a few seconds more before he had reached solid land under him and began to run through the water. Sora held a face of true anguish as he was running to them to the shore. The drenched short haired brunette had tears racing down his face from his deep blue eyes. Finally reaching them he slid on the sand, grabbing hold of the girl, tearing her away from Shouran. "Ashley! Ashley, wake up!" Shaking her as if he expected a response. Instead he was given nothing. A needle of realization stabbed him as he finally felt that she was gone. A pile of emotions welled up inside of him. He had lost her. The woman he fell in love with was actually lost. Sadness was visible on all of his features. In what seemed like an instant, his tears stopped and faded away. His face was blank.
Shouran looked at him with deep sympathy, emotions of sadness overwhelming his face. "Sora," Shouran reached out his hand to Sora's shoulder and placed it down. "I.. I'm so sorry-"
Shouran was cut off by Sora's immediate burst of rage. He took Shourans arm and flung it off of him. "Don't you dare touch me! Just go away, you've caused enough pain to last a lifetime and you've just cost someone theirs! Do you have any idea what you've done? Just go away and never come back!" While he was turning his head to hide it from him, Shouran noticed that a tear was sliding down Sora's cheek as he said his final words in a quiet and woefully voice, "… just go away." he trailed on.
Shouran gazed at him with astonishment. He knew he and Sora didn't see eye to eye, but this was far more than that. Shouran closed his eyes tightly, seeking the strength to fight back his tears. Once they opened, he took a few moments to silently say goodbye to Sora and his once beloved. Standing up wasn't as hard anymore. His body was numb, he didn't feel a thing. Sora's words had killed what was left of himself. He turned around and stalked away sluggishly down the shore of purgatory, not looking back for even the slightest reason.
Sora's heart was filled with sorrow, hate, distrust, anger, and betrayal. But all of this shouldn't have mattered. He told himself that he shouldn't think like that, he knew She wouldn't want him to. Ashley trusted Shouran, he never understood why. Looking down at her still body he began to talk to her as if she was sleeping."Why didn't you listen to me..? All of this could have been avoided if you had just listened to me." He paused to take a deep breath and continued, "How could you always see the good in people even though it's not there? ..Why?" Sora began to think of everything that led up to that very day. It was no problem for him. Everything that had happened all seemed like it was just yesterday. As if yesterday, he had just met Ashley. As if yesterday he had just met her sisters, his father, and even Shouran. Also as if his brother had just died and his closest friends had recently left his side. Just as if everything was just written in his mind. Sora couldn't help but close his eyes and start to think of the moments where it all began. The day that had started everything was the day where everything went wrong, but this time, it started when they found him.
The Day of Fate.