Title: Asunder [I. Ascension]
Author: RichelleBrinkley
AN: So, this is my new project. Asunder will be a collection of oneshots/drabbles I write revolving primarily around Ryang, Fanta and Yuri. Not all characters will be present in all chapters and chapters will not necessarily be interrelated. Other characters may also make appearances. Ratings, genre and characters for this particular chapter are as listed below.
Rating: K+
Genre: Romance, angst
Characters: Ryang, Fanta
Disclaimer: I do not own Faeries' Landing, it is the property of You Hyun.
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I. Ascension
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"If I were, hypothetically, to leave you and return to Avalon, would you miss me? Young Master."
"Hypothetically, I wouldn't." But realistically, Ryang would.
Fanta doesn't believe him, of course. "Are you saying that all the time we've spent together has meant nothing to you at all? So if I were to leave, say, you would just move on with your life as if I had never existed?"
"Hypothetically speaking... Yes, I would."
"Well then, Young Master, you should know that I am planning to ascend to Avalon next full moon. Not hypothetically."
Ryang is hit with an overwhelmingly strong sense of déjà vu.
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"You do realise this almost directly parallels my father begging my mother to take him with her to Avalon?"
Ryang jumps slightly in surprise; he hadn't realised that Fanta had noticed him, hidden behind a tree in the clearing of the forest.
Now she turns to look at him, glorious in her otherworldly beauty, and for the first time, he can discern remnants of her mother's coldness in her eyes.
Fanta is leaving, because Fanta doesn't care. She never really did.
And it hurts. He'd loved her, after all.
"I'm not here to beg you to take me with you." Her response is a skeptic stare, and even Ryang admits that he would be unconvinced too, if he were in her position.
"I just want you to know, I'm sorry you ever came into my life. You've caused nothing but trouble, Shorty. And, hypothetically speaking, I will be glad to see you go."
She smiles, but it is the barest upturn of her lips. It doesn't reach her eyes.
"Well then, Young Master, I'll be glad to be gone. Not hypothetically."
The shuttle arrives but she does not turn to it, instead continuing to stare him down, studying him, his reaction. Unsheathing something seemingly from thin air, Ryang registers the silver glint of the blade seconds before he realises what it is.
He panics. "Fanta, no!"
The light breeze that had previously been blowing stills; sounds disappear, and time is frozen as Fanta steadies the blade in one hand, the other moving to grasp gently at the single, delicate string of affinity that Ryang knows connects her to him.
As much as he hates her now, despite what he had said about wanting her gone – he doesn't want to forget about her, not really.
Fanta fingers the string in her hand, intertwining it loosely through her fingers. "If someone were, hypothetically, to cut this string of affinity between us, what do you think would happen, Young Master?"
He is shaking slightly, eyes flickering between the blade positioned so closely to their one connection and the cool indifference of her stare.
"I think that if someone were to hypothetically sever the tie between us, that it would be the biggest mistake of their life."
Fanta scoffs. Then she drops the string of affinity – Ryang lets out a quiet breath of relief – and instead rapidly closes the space between the two of them. Ryang's eyes narrow as he watches her cautiously, but she does nothing but come to a standstill in front of him.
She wets her lips. "Young Master, am I to believe that – despite what you said earlier – you don't want to forget me?" Her voice lowers, "Would you, perhaps, miss me?"
The corner of his mouth lifts in an almost-smirk. "Not hypothetically."
She leans in closer, and Ryang only realises that she is hovering about a foot in the air when he is able to look her in the eye without bending his head. Her eyes lock on his, and all at once, Ryang can suddenly feel the tension palpable in the air and the pressure of her brown eyes unyielding on his.
"Ryang," she breaths, and he starts; he is not quite accustomed to her calling him by his first name, "You've never been a good liar."
There is a flash of silver, the bright reflection of the moonlight, but Ryang is too focused on the warm lips that are suddenly pressed against his own to pay it much heed.
Fanta is kissing him, and in a moment of weakness he casts everything out of his mind to just kiss her back, kiss her like he has always wanted to.
It feels… timeless.
By the time Ryang realises the true severity of this observation, it is too late.
Fanta breaks the kiss carelessly, and Ryang barely opens his eyes in time to see her swing the blade in a smooth arc; he watches in seemingly slow-motion as it cuts cleanly through the single string of affinity binding the two of them.
Then there is just a girl, a beautiful one at that, but a girl he does not recognise; she bids him goodbye before disappearing into a shuttle which ascends into the sky.
The last words she says to him are, "Hypothetically, I won't miss you either."
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AN: I'm trying this new thing where I update stories regularly. I don't actually know how regular "regularly" is, but I'm hoping it'll be each fortnight or less. Otherwise, feel free to harass me with PMs and prompts, since I'm aiming for at least ten chapters on this thing.
Thanks for reading.
Much love,
RichelleBrinkley xx
