Nothing rustles in the open, not a single trace of life around the opening and the cool breeze blows through the landscape and faint cold drops ornately splattering on the ground. Perhaps if the situation were different he would admire the heavens with the soft tears of mist around him; but he cannot. As muddled as he felt, there was just one small thought that terrified him.

He would be dying, no, he is dying..

And that person... She will be alone.

It hurt him in the funniest way he had ever thought possible; a mercenary like him should not despair for a girl's sake- mercenaries were supposed to be strong, brave- indestructible. He should not mourn or grief for the kid, but he does. Why hadn't he picked up on the clues- and how did it have to end up like this? His memory began clouding up with exhaustion. Thoughts, memories, everything become so muddled up in confusion that he wanted it to end—yet he did not want to shut down.

This puzzled him greatly; death was an odd thing.

"Mercenary!"

Eyes widening a bit, his irises dilate but cannot focus on anything but a blur of colors around him. That voice erupted from his thoughts. That kid shouldn't be here! His breath hitched a beat and he tried to catch a better glimpse but found that his body would not move, could not move.

"Kid, get out of here," He wanted to say but not a single sound came out. It hurt him as though the silence were stitching into his very existence and the warmth of life began to drain from his vessel. 'Ariel- was that even her name?' He contemplates in utter confusion, 'good Rhinne, I'm not even sure anymore... What was that kid's name damn it!' He wrecks his brain, mind, thought, every fiber in his body, just to find that the girl's name suppressed under a locked memory- fading from his grasp.

"Don't leave me! Why? Why didn't you listen to your own advice!" She shrieks and sobs. The sounds just seem so very far off- like watching a movie from afar- but the fact that she was just above him, only a few inches away, terrified him.

Because I needed to do something- because I could not accept the fact?

Why didn't I indeed...

His breath is uneven and his veins are pounding in distress; this sensation was not completely unfamiliar, but was definitely the worst sensation he had ever felt. A rattling intake makes him want to pass out with what sanity he had left- but he had the feeling the girl would be far from desolate.

"You told me not to fight if they were stronger! Walk away if I couldn't win!" The faded voice sounded strained. Something warm splashed onto his skin, arousing him awake from a trance. The man catches a glimpse of the youthful girl that awakens a shard of memory- her name was Arin.

Then he comes to a realization

My name..?

"Hey, Mercenary, you're like my family,"

She never call him by his birth name?

Then... I never did tell you my name..

Confusion began eating away at his consciousness and a bitter urgency erupted from his nerves; a desperate need to stay alive- to stay with this girl. He has to tell her before everything fades away, or the mercenary may never be able to bare it.

My name is -

OOC: Sorry if I made some grammatical mistakes or the paragraphs seem rushed/unrelated.. I can't see any mistakes at the moment, so please let me know- or I'll just edit it if I see any in the future.