si vis amari ama (If you want to be loved, love)
Aya smiled faintly as she glanced at herself in the mirror. She was quite pleased with the way she looked in her simple, long, black satin dressed with a daring slit on one side that revealed her long, slender leg. She fixed the thin spaghetti straps at her shoulders and weaved a hand through her blonde hair, neatly patting the loose strands in place. Picking up a tube of pink lipstick from her drawer, Aya awkwardly stared at the object. She wasn't used to wearing make-up for she had always preferred to look natural. But, tonight was an important night and she wanted to look her best. Smoothing the lipstick over her lips, Aya suddenly felt the butterflies in her stomach fluttering again. It had been over a year since the incident at the Shelter and a lot had changed. Cleaning up after the incident was one of the hardest things Aya had to deal with, but she managed. She recalled the times when she pretended to be pleased with her accomplishments in an effort to hide the looming sadness that pricked at her heart. She spent months searching for Kyle Madigan, the man who saved her and Eve thanks to the diversion he created when he killed No. 9. When no results came from her searches, she knew not to give up. After all, Kyle had taught her to never give up. Aya let out a small chuckle when she recalled how surprised she must have looked when HE found her at the Nature Museum. Never in a million years would she have thought that HE would find her in New York City during her well-earned vacation with Eve.
Madigan…is that really you?
"Aya…it's really good to see you again."
"How did you know I was going to be here at the Nature Museum with Eve?"
"I did my homework."
Aya remembered the comforting silence that hung in the air when Kyle walked through the elevator at the museum. It took her a few minutes for the words to find a way out of her speechless mouth.
"I thought I was never going to see him again, but there he was…" Aya whispered to herself and set the tube of lipstick back on the drawer. "I can't believe he actually found me…" She closed her eyes and silently thanked whatever entity that had granted her wish to see Kyle again. There was so much she wanted to tell him and now she finally had the chance to do so.
"Hey Aya. How do I look?"
A young voice startled the older woman and her blue eyes instantly snapped open. Turning around, she found Eve walking out of the bathroom in a white blouse and a red skirt. The little girl rushed over to her bed and grabbed her black coat, excitedly sliding into her jacket while grinning at Aya.
"You look beautiful, Eve…" Aya smiled and grabbed her own coat. When Aya first met Eve, she knew right away that the little girl was someone special and dear to her. They were so lucky to have found each other, and their sisterly bond had only increased from the day they met each other.
"Are you nervous about seeing Kyle?" Eve asked curiously. She knew about her 'sister's' feelings for the private investigator even though Aya rarely brought him up. It was just so obvious with the way she looked and talked about him.
"Nervous? N-no way! I just want us all to have a good time," Aya lied feebly. She hastily buttoned her black coat and stuffed her hotel key into her purse before turning off the lights in her hotel room. "Come on, Eve. Let's get going or else we're going to be late!" Aya said quickly to change the subject.
Eve grinned to herself. She knew Aya was just trying to avoid the question. Deep down, Eve hoped that things would turn out well for her sister and Kyle. She really respected the way Kyle saved her and Aya in the Shelter, and plus, he was very handsome. Like Aya, she was extremely surprised when he showed up a few days ago at the Nature Museum. It was strange and nice at the same time to see him again after he had disappeared for months. Eve cast a glance at Aya and she immediately knew that Aya was pacing inside from the way her steel blue eyes were shifting around.
They didn't really get a chance to talk after the meeting at the museum. Kyle said he had to do something important, but he wanted to drop by and say hello to us. I remembered how disappointed Aya looked when he said he had to head out again, but then she had the biggest smile when he asked us to go see a show with him at Carnegie Hall. He even got us the best tickets.
"Eve? You there?" Aya asked with a look of concern on her face.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about something." Eve blushed in embarrassment.
"Oh? What were you thinking about? You seemed totally out of it," Aya laughed softly as she stepped into the elevator and pressed the 'Lobby' button. She unconsciously counted the 'dings' in her head while waiting for Eve to respond.
"Nothing important. I just hope you have fun with Kyle tonight, Aya." Eve grabbed her sister's hand and held it tightly as they left the elevator and walked toward the cab waiting outside the hotel. "You don't have to hide it from me. I know how you feel, Aya.' Eve smiled brightly and gave Aya a big hug. "And, I know how he feels about you too."
This time, it was Aya's turn to blush. "Eve…how do you know how Kyle feels about me?"
"Aya, you would have to be blind and deaf to not know how Kyle feels about you," Eve giggled. "Don't worry, he won't reject you," Eve replied playfully with a hint of seriousness at the same time.
Madigan…I can't believe you're really here… Aya thought to herself as the driver ushered her inside the cab and closed the door.
--
Kyle casually leaned against the columns in front of Carnegie Hall and watched the snow fall against the city backdrop while waiting for Aya and Eve. He shoved a hand into his coat pocket and felt the stubs of the three tickets he had with him. He wasn't a native to New York City, but he knew where all the nice events took place and figured that a show at Carnegie Hall would be enjoyable. It was three days after Christmas, and since he hadn't bought gifts for Eve and Aya, he made sure to try extra hard to obtain the best seats for tonight's show. Kyle didn't want to admit it but his heart was pounding rather heavily against his chest as he waited for a yellow cab to show up in front of him. He had a few issues to settle, which was why he had disappeared for so long. But, he knew he also had unfinished business with Aya and that was why he went to search for her location. They certainly had a lot of catching up to do. "Aya…" he breathed while his eyes fell away from the snowfall and fell upon a yellow cab in the distance. As the cab drew closer and closer to him, he found his heart beating even more intensely than before, but he couldn't show that. He had to put on his usual cool and calm façade.
"Kyle!!" Eve was the first one to jump out of the cab. She quickly raced toward the man and jumped into his arms. "We've missed you, Kyle!"
"Whoa, easy there, kiddo!" Kyle laughed as he picked up Eve and gave her a tight hug. The child was so innocent and precious. He couldn't believe he had almost shot her if it weren't for Aya stopping him. "I miss you too, Eve!" When he sat her back down on her feet, his eyes caught the sight of a pair of black platform heels stepping gracefully out of the cab. Kyle's eyes traveled from the figure's feet to her slender body, and finally, to her face. Aya was momentarily distracted with tipping the cabdriver when he came around to close the door for her.
"Enjoy your night, Miss. You look stunning tonight," the driver commented while lewdly glancing down Aya's body when she was retrieving money from her purse.
"Thank you," Aya replied, not taking notice at the way the driver's eyes were fixed on her. "Here you are." She handed him the money and said a casual goodnight.
"You know, if you need me to pick you up, here's my number…" The driver was about to take out a pen and paper when Kyle stepped in between them.
"That's ok. I'll make sure to take her home safely," Kyle replied sternly with a threat looming in his words. He coldly glared at the driver and the driver instantly got the message. When the cab drove out of sight, Kyle turned around to face Aya again, pretending that nothing had just occurred.
"Kyle…" Aya whispered. Her mind was blank and she couldn't think of what to say so she didn't say anything. She felt touched at the way Kyle handled the situation. Was he…jealous?
"Aya, you look…" Kyle's throat suddenly felt dry as he searched for the right word to say. Finally, he realized he was taking too long and just settled for an ordinary, "beautiful" even though his mind was thinking Aya looked more than just a measly "beautiful."
"Thank you, Kyle.' Aya shyly bowed her head. Another silence lingered in the air when Eve finally intervened. "Hey, so can we go in now?"
"Oh, yes of course! It's such an honor to be in the presence of two lovely ladies." Kyle pulled out the three tickets from his pocket and handed one to Eve. "Here you are, kiddo."
Eve smiled gratefully as she accepted the ticket and walked a bit ahead of Kyle and Aya. She knew Aya wanted to spend some time alone with Kyle, and she wanted to help her sister with that as much as possible.
"So…shall we?" Kyle turned to face Aya. He caught her staring blankly at him with her shining, wide, blue eyes. He took notice that her lips were pinker than usual, a lovely shade against her pale smooth complexion. She's so gorgeous…
It took Aya a few moments for her mind to register what had just occurred. When she found Kyle looking at her strangely, she quickly snapped out of her reverie. She just couldn't believe that she was actually standing here next to Madigan. It was real, but it also felt like a dream at the same time, especially because it had been so long since she had last seen him before the day the museum. When he extended an arm to her, she looked perplexed at first but then slowly placed her own arm around his. "Thanks for treating me and Eve."
"It's no problem. I wanted to spend more time with you anyway since I'm here in New York City."
"Did you take care of what you were going to take care of a few days ago?" Aya asked curiously. She really wanted to know what Kyle had to take care of. Deep down, she feared that it was something important and crucial that would make him leave again.
"Yes, and I'll explain later," Kyle replied rather uneasily. "Let's just enjoy the show and then we can catch up afterwards. How does that sound?" I'm really dreading about telling her…but I should.
"All right," Aya said slowly. She caught the hesitation in Kyle's voice and hoped that there wasn't anything seriously wrong.
When he caught a concerned look in her eyes, he immediately said, "Hey, lighten up and enjoy the show. These tickets weren't cheap." Kyle winked and lightly patted her arm. The last thing he wanted her to do was worry about him.
"I'll try, but you better explain everything to me later, Madigan."
"As you wish, your highness." Kyle playfully bowed and let out small chuckle when Aya punched him in the arm. "What? Your prince can't have a little fun with you," Kyle teased back.
"Dream on, lover boy.' Aya rolled her eyes in mock annoyance, but she was beaming inside. She never admitted it, but she secretly enjoyed his flirtatious teases.
"Over here guys," Eve waved from her seat.
Aya took a seat next to her sister with Kyle beside her. When she removed her coat, she could feel Kyle's eyes burning into her skin. If it weren't the heat in the theater and how anxious she was feeling, she'd think that her mitochondria was acting up again.
"That dress looks really nice on you. Shows off your curves," Kyle whispered into Aya's ear to make sure it was out of Eve's hearing range.
Aya instantly flushed and resisted the urge to smack him across the face. Kyle was back to his arrogant and obnoxious self, but she couldn't help but enjoy the attention he was giving her. Pretending that she didn't hear his comment, Aya gave him the cold shoulder and picked up the playbill. Her eyes widened when she saw flipped through the booklet and found a picture of a brunette adorned in a burgundy flowing gown. The lady in the picture had long brown hair and facial features similar to…Melissa Pearce. For a moment, she thought her heart had stopped beating. The room suddenly felt scorching hot and Aya could have sworn she saw flames bursting through the corners, engulfing the entire theater in a hellish inferno. She dropped the playbill and gasped lightly for air. Her head was spinning and the faces before her became blurry. She felt Kyle's arms around her but his touch felt like heated blades pricking against her skin.
"Aya!?" Kyle panicked as he caught the woman in his arms when she fell back. Her head fell limply against his shoulder. Her eyes were closed and her breathing became sharper.
"Aya!!" Eve looked equally as worried as Kyle as she shook her sister's hands in an effort to revive her. She glanced around the theater and found that it was still rather empty. There was no one nearby for assistance. "Kyle, stay here with her. I'm going to get someone outside for help."
"E-ve…wait…" Aya rasped. When she opened her eyes, the flames were gone and the heat felt like it was emanating from her body. "I-"
"Aya, what happened?" Kyle asked, his brows drawn in worry and alarm. "I think I should call for help." Holding Aya's weight with one arm, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone.
"No, I'm fine now." Aya pushed away his cell phone and sat up straight. "Sorry about scaring you two, but I'm really okay now."
"What happened!?" Kyle demanded.
Aya picked up the playbill she had dropped before and flipped to the page where she had spotted the Melissa Pearce look-alike. "This is what I saw."
"Oh…I see," Kyle whispered, immediately realizing what had just occurred.
Eve looked at the picture and felt confused. "I don't get it."
"The woman in the picture here looks like Melissa Pearce. Melissa Pearce was performing here on the night when Eve took control of her body and caused the entire theater to burst into flames. For some reason, I was okay because of my mitochondria," Aya explained.
Eve nodded in understanding. "But, what about just now? What happened?"
"My mitochondria must have recognized this place…perhaps the memories startled them."
Eve hugged her sister tightly. Aya could see the tears in her eyes almost ready to spill. "Aya! I was so scared! Are you sure you're all right?"
"I'm fine, I promise." She returned Eve's hug and closed her eyes while kissing the top of the child's head. "Nothing will happen to me." She could sense Eve's fear of being separated from her. She sensed it once before she managed to rescue her from the Shelter and she didn't ever want Eve to feel like that again. "I'm not going anywhere."
Kyle dropped his head in shame. He felt like beating himself for what had just happened. He silently reprimanded himself for not recalling the Manhattan Incident. "I-I'm sorry. It…it didn't occur to me that this place was-"
"Kyle, stop." Aya caught his hand before he was about to curl it into a fist. "It's okay. It's been years since that night. Carnegie Hall had been rebuilt. Any traces of that horrible incident was burned that night, so we should forget about it."
"I-I'm sorry," Kyle apologized again. "If I had known, I would have selected something else to do."
"But you didn't know and I'm okay now," Aya replied sternly. She noticed that there were suddenly more people in the room now. "The show's about to start soon."
Eve also tried to cheer the private investigator up. "Kyle, come on! We have to enjoy the show! Aya said she's okay."
"Come on, Kyle. You said so yourself that these tickets weren't cheap so we better enjoy the show." Aya grinned and nodded to reassure Kyle again that she was fine. When she saw his tense muscles relax, the lights dimmed in the room and the stage lights were lit up. The audience calmly applauded when the actors appeared on stage. Aya placed her playbill in her purse and seated herself comfortably against Kyle, slightly learning her head beside his strong shoulder. When he didn't budge or retreat, she took the initiative of leaning her entire head against his shoulder.
--
"Aww, that was so beautiful and tragic!" Eve pulled out the tissue Aya handed her during the show and wiped her eyes again.
"Ha, you're such a softy. Come on, it wasn't THAT sad," Kyle exclaimed boldly.
"Stop trying to be a manly man!" Eve cried and wiped her eyes again.
"Come on, Aya. Was it really THAT sad?" Kyle asked the older blonde.
Aya nodded. "Well, it was very touching…" Honestly, I tried paying attention to the show…but I kept thinking about what you're going to tell me…
"Well if you two ladies need a shoulder to cry on, just come to me!" Kyle grinned.
Aya slapped his shoulder and Eve playfully kicked his leg. A loud beep caused them both to turn around. Kyle took the opportunity when they weren't looking to fight the burning pain in the leg that Eve had just kicked. He grimaced painfully and curled his hand into a fist as he prayed for the pain in his leg to go away. Damn, for a little girl like Eve, she sure can kick!!
"You sure you'll be okay going back to the hotel by yourself?" Aya asked worriedly. She knew Eve would probably be okay with heading back to the hotel, but her maternal instincts of watching over Eve as closely as possible triggered.
"Aya, I'll be okay!" Eve said happily as she stepped into the cab and retrieved the hotel keys from Aya. "I just want you to have a good time with Kyle. You've been waiting for a long time to see him and I want you guys to catch up…alone. I'm tired anyway."
"Eve…"
"Just tell me how it goes later, okay? Good night, Aya. I'll see you in the morning!" The child leaned over and kissed the other woman on the cheek before closing the door of the cab.
Aya watched until the cab was out of sight before walking back to Kyle. "You okay?" she asked when she saw beads of swear pouring down his face.
"Oh…yeah! It's just a little warm, that's all." Kyle faked a smile. He was relieved that the pain was waning, but he knew he couldn't keep his secret from Aya much longer.
"It's not that warm. It is December after all."
"So, Eve's gone?" Kyle changed the subject.
Aya nodded. "Yeah, you can visit her tomorrow. She said she wants to get some sleep. I hope she'll be okay."
"Don't worry about a thing, Aya. The cabdriver I called is a personal friend of mine here in New York City. Rest assure that he'll get her back to your hotel in one piece. He's much more reliable than that other bastard driver."
Oh, he means the one who was trying to give me his number. Oh, Kyle…
"We have a lot of catching up to do. Why don't we head somewhere to talk now that we're alone," Kyle offered.
Aya nodded. "I know a place." It's about time…I really need to know what you're going to tell me, Madigan.
--
"Central Park?" Kyle raised a brow as he entered a sealed off region of the park. Since the park was closed, he and Aya had to take a secret passage that led to an abandoned but beautiful garden adorned with fresh green blades of grass and little red flowers (that he couldn't identify) buried beneath the blanket of pure snow.
"It's a lovely place, and I thought we could get some privacy here." Aya held out her hand and watched intently at the snow falling against her palm. "It seems like the snow dying down," she observed calmly even though her body was filled with anxiety.
Kyle walked up behind her and stood still for a moment just to simply watch her. He admired the way the faint beams from the moon hit her, making it seem like she was surrounded by a heavenly aura. Her entire body appeared to glow under the light, and he had to remind himself that it was naturally from the light from the moon and not her using her Parasite Energies. He had seen the times when she used her Parasite Energies when they fought together in the Shelter and remembered how unreal but natural it seemed. It was scary but beautiful at the same time. She was beautiful. He watched the snow fall silently into his own hand before melting into his skin. A thick silence hung in the air and he realized that she was waiting for him to initiate the conversation.
It's now or never. Here's your chance to tell the girl of your dreams everything he reminded himself. "Aya?"
Aya turned around too quickly, but it was only after she turned to face that she realized she had acted too hastily. Even though she was dying to pour her feelings out to Kyle, there was still a part of her that wanted to hide her passion for him so he wouldn't get too arrogant and cocky. It was for his own good anyway.
Kyle smirked. "Heh, that sure got your attention."
"Madigan, I need you to tell me what you wanted to say," Aya replied seriously. She had been waiting for an explanation and she'd be damned if she wasn't going to get one.
Kyle sighed and guided her toward a bench at the end of the garden. "I will." He offered her a seat before he sat down beside her. He glanced straight ahead, avoiding her eyes momentarily before exhaling deeply. "I hope you won't think less of me when I tell you."
"Well…that depends on what it is you're going to tell me, Madigan." Aya watched the private investigator closely while holding her breath in anticipation. She saw his dark eyes close again for a brief moment as if he was meditating. He's so handsome…he looks much better in his black coat than that outfit he wore when we first met. Ugh, Aya! Stop! You must focus she scolded herself for getting carried away. He seems so nervous about telling me whatever it is that I should know.
He turned to face her, his dark eyes directly piercing into her own blue ones. He cleared his throat and sighed heavily before asking, "Aya, do you remember that explosion when we rescued Eve?"
Aya nodded. "It was right after you shot me as a diversion. What about it?" She recalled the way her heart felt like it was going to burst from her chest when the explosion occurred. She was so worried about Eve and Kyle, thinking that she definitely would have given up at that point if they both hadn't survived. "That was so…scary…" she whispered, trying to block away the images of that moment as well as her fears of losing Kyle and Eve.
"You…you and Eve were all right…" Kyle started. His gaze fell from her face and he felt like he could no longer look her straight in the eyes anymore.
"Yes…we were…but…" Aya replied slowly, trying to recollect the events of that day clearly in her mind. It all happened too fast. Did…did Kyle save us? "Did you save us?"
Kyle nodded, his head still bowed in shame. "Yeah, I did," he admitted hesitantly. "I pulled Eve back and then I came to you to push you out of the way so you wouldn't be hit by the toppling glass and frames."
"W-whaat!?" Aya choked on her own words. She felt something in her mind trigger a series of buried and forgotten memories that came rushing to her, making her body feel cold and limp from the sudden realization that Kyle had saved her. She suddenly remembered a faint arm brushing against her, forcing her away from the debris piling around her. The smoke and dust from the explosion were so great that she couldn't see anything in sight. She did hear his voice though. She heard the way he rasped through the smoke and she heard the solid front he tried to put up when he urged her to save Eve. "Y-you…you told me that your clothes were singed…and asked if I wanted a free peep show…" If the situation weren't so grave, Aya would have been breaking into tears from laughing at the situation, not regretting the foolish words she muttered to him before she ignorantly left him to find Eve
"Well, my clothes were singed…and yeah, you should have totally checked out my bare muscles," Kyle joked to lighten up the situation. He was going to say something else but stopped when he saw Aya's face was turned away from him. He caught a quick sight of what appeared to be tears trailing down her pale cheek. "A-aya…it gets worse." It's now or never. ". "I…disappeared afterwards because I needed medical attention. I came back to New York City to do some final touch-ups on……" He rolled back his
pants to reveal a prosthetic leg that replaced his real one that was lost during the explosion.
Aya speechlessly watched the way the metal and wires shone beneath the moonlight and felt a wave of cold sweat roll down her back. She couldn't recall a time when her throat felt as parched as it was now. It was as if her own mitochondria had combusted her mouth. Her icy body felt paralyzed, and she wasn't sure if it was even her moving her own fingers to touch the metal material on the prosthetic leg just to make sure that everything before her wet eyes was real. Her fingers smoothly ran over the frigid metals aimlessly as if she was trying to search for something. She tried to close her eyes to shield herself from the horrible sight before, the horrible sight that she had inflicted on him. An overwhelming flow of guilt, anger, and sorrow flooded her body, making her body feel weak and numb. She tried to shake the image of the explosion from her head, but her efforts were in vain when the image felt like it was glued before her mind, forcing her to replay the cruel image of Kyle pushing her out of the way over and over again. Why…? Why didn't I go back to check on him!? She suddenly snapped out of her trance and pulled back her hand. The icy barrier around her body felt like it was melting by a torrent of hot raining fire. She thought her mitochondria was going to go out of control again from the way her body wracked with pure and sheer fury.
Startled, Kyle quickly held on to Aya's shoulders to brace her. "Aya, are you-"
"Why didn't you tell me sooner!?" she interrupted curtly, her voice mixed with rage and sadness. Spinning around, she threw her hands against his chest and started beating against his toned muscles. "WHY!?" she yelled furiously as her tears leaked uncontrollably from her eyes. The effortless action of hitting him became difficult. She felt so drained and weak from beating him that she collapsed slowly, her body slipping lifelessly against his. She felt his arms holding up her weight again, just like they had when they were in Carnegie Hall. Just like they had when he saved me from the explosion…when he sacrificed his leg for Eve and me…
"I didn't want you to know," he admitted emotionlessly. "I disappeared all those months to get my leg treated…and I stopped here in New York City because I heard you were going to be at the museum with Eve. I'm sorry I left shortly afterwards. I had an appointment with a famous doctor here."
"Why did you do that? Why did you try to save me like that?" Aya had calmed down a bit, finally taking in the cold truth presented before her. She didn't want to believe it, but she had to. Here she was, listening to Kyle's own words slipping out of his mouth; it was the truth that was slipping out of his mouth.
"I couldn't let two beautiful girls die before my eyes." Kyle attempted another joke, but he could tell Aya really wasn't in the mood for jesters. "But seriously…I couldn't let you and Eve die."
"I can't believe you did what you did…" Aya whispered lowly. She turned away so Kyle couldn't see the second wave of tears that were threatening to pour from her eyes. Her heart felt like it was stuck in a vise-like grip; it ached and burned so much with each passing moment she thought about how much Kyle had sacrificed for her and Eve.
"Like I told myself after you walked away…I've never fell so hard for any girl than you, Aya. You're….really something…special…" He turned to face his prosthetic leg and a smile formed on his lips. "I'm glad I did what I did." He folded his pants back down and sighed wearily, but happily. "There, I said it. It sure feels nice to get that off my chest."
"Kyle……"
Kyle quickly interjected. "Aya, I-I just hope you don't see me in a lesser light because of my prosthetic leg…I didn't know how you were going to react if I told you I lost my leg."
Aya could hear the heavy layer of distress in his voice. "You…you really thought I would see you any differently?" Her face was still turned away. From the corner of her eyes, she saw that he had rolled down his pants to cover his prosthetic leg. A part of her felt relieved that she no longer had to witness the sight. Maybe, just maybe she could still trick herself into thinking that the reality of the situation was just all in her head. She felt grateful that her blonde strands shielded her soaked face from the man next to her. The last thing she wanted was for him to pity her because she was crying for him.
"Well, you know…maybe you wouldn't think I was as handsome as before because of it," Kyle laughed dryly, but he was serious at the same time. He feared Aya would look at him differently if she found out about his leg. In all honestly, he was really interested in her and he didn't want his handicapped body getting in the way of whatever little feelings she might had for him.
"Kyle! Stop! I-I don't think that at all……"
"Aya, you still crying there?" Kyle asked softly and tried to lean his face towards her side profile. When she didn't say anything, he took that as a 'yes.'
"Aya…" he whispered so gingerly that his voice almost tickled the tip of her ears. She felt his strong arms embracing her, taking her fragile form into his arms like had done so many times tonight. She learned her head against his chest and allowed the tears to freely fall from her eyes. Kyle silently watched each drop of tear glisten beneath the moonlight as they fell from her face, landing on her hands and thighs as the journey of the tears picked up speed. He closed her eyes and rested his head on top of her head, inhaling the sweet scent emanating from her hair. He breathed in her heavenly scent and embraced her tighter in an effort to protect her from the cold, her fears, her worries, and in a way, himself. He hadn't meant to inflict so much pain on her, but he knew he had to tell her the truth.
"Kyle…when I fell after my battle with Eve…did you come to me, or was I imagining things?" Aya suddenly asked in between chokes of tears. She lifted her head and pierced Kyle's eyes with her tear-stained face, demanding nothing but the truth. She no longer cared about putting up a defensive façade. All her barriers and walls protecting her from the 'arrogant jerk' she once thought Kyle was collapsed. She was no longer afraid to show him how she was when she was at her weakest, when she was at her weakest because of him.
"Yeah…I was there," Kyle confirmed. "You weren't imagining anything…I was there, Aya." He placed a hand on her face and wiped away the remaining tears rolling down her smooth ivory cheeks. "I was right there with you all along. I'm sorry I left." He pulled her closer to him and pressed her head beneath his chin. He smoothed her hair with one hand and placed his free hand against her back, gently rubbing it up and down to soothe her. "But I knew you were going to be all right. I knew I was going to see you again."
"You have no idea how long I've spent searching for you…I was having the entire FBI and MIST force conducting searches for you. I also did my own research, but…nothing. You disappeared without a trace…" Aya let out a sigh of relief. She hesitated at the thought of returning his embrace, but then thought how lucky she was to have been granted another chance to see the man who had done and sacrificed so much for her. "Madigan, don't ever scare me like that again," she whispered while encircling his waist with her arms, returning the comforting embrace he gave her.
"I'll be right here, Aya. Right here with you. Like I said before, I've never felt this way about any girl…" Kyle said slowly, unsure of how she was going to respond. The way she was holding him was a positive sign, but in the back of his mind, there was a tiny voice that had been bugging him about Aya, constantly telling him that Aya was too good for him. He inwardly snickered at the thought of how intimidated he felt against that tiny voice. He was supposed to be the big strong private investigator that was not afraid of anything, and certainly not a voice that could have been just a figment of his imagination.
Aya felt her heart was skipping beats and she almost made him repeat his words again if she hadn't recalled that it was the second time he had said he had never felt this way about any woman. She was a stubborn woman and spent most of her time keeping her feelings to herself. She was trained as a MIST agent to keep her emotions at bay so they wouldn't interfere with her missions. But how could I keep my feelings for Madigan anchored when I felt so strongly for him during our missions…and…he…he lost his leg because of Eve and me. I'm sure he already knows how I feel…but I guess I should come out and say it anyway. He deserves at least that for everything he had done for me.
She slowly lifted her head and trailed her hands up until they cupped his face. She loved the way his chiseled face felt at the touch of her fingertips and the questioning but firm look he gave her when he watched her mysterious movements. Her tears had dried up save for the wet remnants framing the linings of her lower lids, which gave the illusion that it was sparkling beneath the heavy moonbeam. Aya found her fingers moving on their accord, tucking back the loose brown strands of Kyle's hair. She gave a small smile when she saw the emotions locked in his eyes. As a MIST agent, she was trained to read people's thoughts and emotions through physical contact, and it was time to put her training to the test. Although Kyle was rather a hermit compared to regular people, she saw, well, at least she thought she saw love, passion, fear, and hope evident in his usual stoic eyes. Hm…actually, maybe these emotions had been there all along and I was just too blind to realize because I thought he was such a jerk…or maybe, I feared that I was going to fall for him and wanted to protect myself from developing feelings for him. She wrapped her hands around his neck and drew him closer until their faces were just inches apart, their breaths heavy upon each other. "I still think you're very handsome, Madigan. I don't think less of you. In fact, I think more highly of you than ever. Thank you…for saving Eve and me. I….I-"
"It's my pleasure, Aya," he whispered so softly that Aya thought his words were going to fade with the brisk wind. He placed a rough palm against one of her smooth cheeks and closed the gap between them. He closed his eyes and blocked everything else from his mind except for the sensation of his lips against hers. No images of the Shelter, Eve, his leg, his position as a mole, nothing…just the happiness and warmth her kiss managed to stir within him. However, he did note that her skin felt warm beneath his touch and silently wondered if her mitochondria had anything to do with that. Were they being responsive to him in their own mysterious ways? Did they…accept him?
"I think my mitochondria craves this too, Madigan…" Aya spoke, momentarily parting her lips as if she knew what Kyle was thinking.
Kyle grinned and pressed his lips into hers once more. I'm glad.
--
Author's Notes: Okay, I JUST finished PEII the other day even though the game came out like 10 years ago so I'm not sure if this fic will even get any readers seeing that the PE section on is already quite small to begin with. Plus, there just aren't enough Kyle/Aya pairings out there, which I think is totally adorable and became one my main motivations to move forward in the game just so I can get a scene with them in it. All right, so here are some things I want to clarify:
-I'm not sure if the game clarifies what happens to Kyle after Aya defeats Eve. We do know that he disappears and Aya tries to find him, which is stated in the epilogue. In the FMV ending, we see him at the museum so I decided to base my fanfic off of the aftermath of that scene. For this fic, I decided to make it seem like Kyle was getting treatment for his leg, which has been stated on many sites (and it appears in the FMV sequence of the explosion at the gantry) that he lost his leg.
-I don't know for sure if Kyle really pushed Aya out of the way, but I was under the impression that he did something to save her during the explosion, attributing to the reason why he lost his leg…at least for this fic anyway.
-After Aya fights Eve and falls to a pit with sister Eve, she sees a blurry image of Kyle. Now, I'm not sure if Kyle was really there or not. According to the faq I was following when I was playing the game, the writer of the faq said she was hallucinating. This could be true, but I made that scene to be a reality for Aya in this fic.
-The mitochondria. They do work in mysterious ways for Aya, giving her PE and all so I decided to give them more characteristics, such as being responsive to memories and intimate feelings. They are after all, a part of Aya and should be part of her feelings and emotions.
-Why NYC during Christmas time? Well, this takes us back to PE I when Aya starts the game off at Carnegie Hall around the holiday season so I thought it would be nice to go back to the origins of the series. Now, does the ending of PE II really take place during the winter season? I don't know since it's hard to tell because Aya is indoors with Eve in the museum, but I assume it is for this fanfic.
If you guys have any more questions or things you want to point out, feel free to email me. Thank you for reading and please leave me a review if you can! It's always amazing to hear from you guys! ^_^
Whew, now we can all wait for PE: The 3rd Birthday. Although, it sadly seems from the trailer that Aya and Kyle have drifted apart when you see her waving a gun at him. ;_; But, who knows! We'll have to see for sure when the game comes out.