It was silent.

It was always silent.

His feet made no sound as he walked along the cobbled stones through the ever silent town he found himself in.

He always ended up here…he knew what was coming…and was ready to face it.

Turning a corner the town square came into view, a large fountain with silently flowing water standing proud in the centre. He kept his gaze straight ahead as faded beings appeared through the streets, strolling along as if without a care.

But he knew better. And the moment he stopped in front of the fountain, the sounds started.

It was nothing more than footsteps of a single person walking toward him then it steadily started to multiply, the sound growing in volume and numbers until the sound echoed round him and the town. Closing his eyes, Lucian took a breath before he turned round, looking out over the sea of faces now gathered round him and the fountain in the square.

The last person took their spot at the back and the town fell into silence once more, hundreds of eyes all locked on him, expressions all neutral…

For a few moments at least…

His hands curled into tight fists at his sides, the many faces changing to take on the array of emotions they had worn before he had struck all those years ago. Children were crying, elderly men begging, parents screaming for mercy, gang members staring him down even as fear crept into their eyes.

He remembered them all…remembered every single face and name of those he had killed, forced to slay in the name of Oroku Saki…many for no reason at all. It was always the first nightmare he faced when sleep took him under…it was always the same…

…and it still haunted him…

A little girl...Elanora…fell to her knees right in front of him making him back up a few steps, shell bumping against the fountain. She looked at him, tears streaming down her face before her mouth opened and he froze as she spoke.

"Why did you kill me? I never did anything! My daddy was going to pay! Why did you take my mummy? Why did you take my father away?! We were happy! Now…"

Lucian tensed, he hated when they spoke to him, their voices echoing in his mind long after he woke. The girl's tone steadily dropped a few octaves, hanging her head, the sea of people mirroring the action.

"…now I'll never get the chance to know love…never play with my friends again…and it's all your fault…" Her head rose, locking pitch black dead eyes with his, skin deathly pale and a blood forking down her face from the bullet hole in her forehead.
"It's all your fault!"

He stepped back further, pressing back against the concrete as a cool breeze whistled past him, drawing his gaze up from the girl crying in front of him toward the back of the crowd.

…This was new…

His eyes remained riveted on the crowd of people that were splitting down the middle, a path been made for the figure walking toward him, their image fuzzy. He barely noticed Elanora's crying had stopped, the girl rising off her knees to step back, melding with the crowd as she spoke again, her tone low…

"…It's your fault…you killed us…the blood of everyone here is on your hands…everyone's…"

Amber and blue eyes widened as the figures image cleared, black hair flowing down her back and kind chocolate brown eyes raising to meet his, a soft smile gracing her features. Lucian's breath caught, looking at her in confusion.

"Jos, why are you here? You shouldn't be here…"

Ruby smiled warmly at him, stopping within the metre circle the crowd left around him, her voice soft and breezy like the wind.
"You know I'd never leave you alone." His eyes never waved from hers even as his body tensed up, Elanora's words echoing around him.

Everyone's blood…

Luc stilled as her words meaning sunk in, eyes darting round to the cruel smiles surrounding him.
"No…you can't be one of them…I didn't do it…I can't have…" Jostlin's smile slowly shrunk, mirroring the faces around them. Red stained the tips of her hair and blossomed from the left side of her chest, her skin folding in on itself leaving nothing but a gaping black hole appearing til he could see straight through.
"But you did, Luc. I'd never leave you but…you made me. Gave you my heart and look what you did…" He watched in fear as she slowly lifted her arm, showing him the shrivelled and burned heart resting in her hand. She tilted her head slightly, skin paling rapidly, eyes darkening with anger.

"How could you, Luc? I trusted you! You couldn't even stop at my death. No, you had to turn on them too!"

Lucian shook his head rapidly, eyes wide in terror as his breathing grew heavier, watching as the crowd parted once more and two teenaged mutants walked toward them, taking their posts on either side of Ruby. Tremors raced through his body at the sight of the boy and girl, looking at him with sad filled eyes, identical slashes appearing across their throats.

"Why dad?"

Luc stared at them then to the many faces watching him, frozen in place while Jostlin slowly walked toward him, heart dropping to the cobbled stones as she lifted her arms, hands outstretched toward him. He didn't…couldn't…move until those slender hands wrapped around his neck causing his body to instinctively jerk.

"No…please…d-didn't know…"

Jos's gaze only grew darker, grip steadily tightening, cutting off his air. Luc stared at her with wide eyes, hands coming up to grip her wrists, panting and trying to draw in much needed air.

"…s-sorry…didn't mean…to kill…yo-" His words were cut off as her hold tightened further, fingers digging painfully into his neck, nails piercing the scarred skin at the back. His skin paled as he grew light headed from the lack of oxygen, trying to tug her hands away.

"…c-can't breathe…s-stop…"

Jostlin's eyes narrowed on him, the two mutants watching with blank expressions speaking up.

"It's your fault we're dead…why didn't you stop…it's your fault…"

Voice rose up from the crowd, picking up those last three words, echoing it round him in a low drone, filling his mind. A cruel smirk filtered onto Jos's face, stepping forward and lifting him up off the ground, squeezing his throat as the ground behind him fell away leaving a dark bottomless hole. Standing on the edge, Jostlin let him hang over the edge and levelled an angry glare on him.

"Go to Hell, Lucian Hamato."

With that she let go, air rushing into his lungs only to leave it as he cried out, reaching back up toward her as he fell. Those dark chocolate eyes remained on him, watching him fall without a care so he closed his eyes, letting his body go limp as tears flowed down his cheeks, darkness enclosing round him.

What seemed only second later, a light passing by made him open his eyes. He was lying in the centre of a circular ancient Roman style room, flames flickering around the outside. Slowly pushing himself into an upright position, Lucian looked around, uncaring as he watched the flames grow in size, creeping toward him, the rooms temperature rising rapidly. Drawing his knees to his chest, he let out a soft sigh and closed his eyes…

Burned by the flames of Hell…seemed appropriate after what he had done.

The sound of footsteps made him lift his head before his eyes flew wide as Jostlin walked toward him, passing unharmed through the flames to stand before him, arms crossed in front of her chest.

"You couldn't even resist a simple order issued by Saki. I thought you had grown stronger, thought you would do anything to protect your family. But no, a few little words and you were back to being his mindless drone…his obedient little murderer. You don't deserve a quick death by fire…no, not yet…so let's cool this place down shall we?"

Frost spread out rapidly from her feet, coating the room in a thick layer and turning the flames a brilliant blue. Icy tendrils snapped out from her hands, wrapping around him, coating his limbs in solid layers of ice. Shivers wracked his frame, breath fogging up in front of him as he curled inwards, trying to stop the heat from being sapped from his body.

Jostlin watched him silently, smirking as the layers thickened, drawing out every bit of heat it could. Then she shook her head, turning on her heel.
"You are so pathetic, Lucian, absolutely worthless. I can't believe I ever loved you." With every step she took away from him the ice melted, flames roaring back into life. Luc lifted his head, reaching out toward her shakily.

"…d-don't go…"

She never looked back, darkness enveloping her then burst outwards, sucking him into its void once more and…when it receded to show him the newest scene…Lucian just wanted it to swallow him whole again.

His eyes stared down around him, stepping back from the immobile olive toned three fingered hand stretched out toward him, almost pleadingly.

"You did it again…"

He spun round, looking up at Jostlin who sat atop a rock near him, looking outwards at the pile of bodies surrounding them.
"You did this. Couldn't help yourself could you? Your wife and kids weren't enough." Luc's body shook, feeling a drying wetness on his palms. The feeling drew his gaze down and he stared at the thick layer of blood coating and dripping from his quaking hands. He slowly lifted his gaze, looking up at her in pain.

"…Jos….forgive me…" She looked at him, her eyes dead, uncaring even as his voice shook.
"I c-couldn't resist him, I w-wasn't strong e-enough…" He turned his eyes from her, looking down at the bodies piled toward him, falling to his knees while his heart skipped a beat as he recognised the lifeless faces upturned toward him.

"…I k-killed them…all on Saki's o-orders…I swear I d-didn't w-want to…"

His mix-matched gaze swept over the bodies, voice shaking, tears creating warm paths down his cheeks.
"…Leo...Don...Raph...Mikey...Y-you...L-Lucy...Joey…e-e-everyone's g-gone...and it's my fault…all my fault…" Wrapping his arms round himself, Lucian cried, tremors wracking his frame as he sobbed loudly, wishing it all to just go away, repeating a mantra over and over in his head.

It was a dream…just a dream…but those words just didn't ring true anymore

Ownerships

Lucian (c) KJsPlace

Jostlin (c) Hina0126 (deviantart)

Lucy and Joey (c) KJsPlace and Hina0126