Dark Moon

Summary: Once a month she made the trek out to the edge. Every time she was choking back tears. Her hands would tremble as she set the bouquet down onto the dirt. And still, she kept going back.

This is basically a what-if scenario I suppose. With lots of symbolism.

Her fingers tightened on the wheel as she drove. For some reason she always did this, worried. She was just being paranoid she knew. But still... the possibility that someone would catch her one of these times made her heart pound. It made the fear run through her veins, ice cold. Yet, a small thrill ran through her at the possibility. The fact that she could be caught at any time, that someone might actually ask where it was she went on that one day, what she could possibly be doing that she would need a car for. Afterall anything that anyone ever needed was in the city and it's where people lived.

Lived.

Her breath came fast and her chin trembled as she fought back the tell tale signs of the incoming tears. She shook her head, hard. Not now. Not now. She repeated this to herself like a mantra, firmly.

She wasn't even sure how and when it had all started. Why she had the notion to do this, why kept doing it. It's not like he was actually there. No, somewhere... else. She didn't know. The Chief might but she sure as hell wasn't going to ask that mad woman. It was because of that person's inablity to keep the dogs on a tight leash. It was because of her. It had all happened when she hadn't been able to hold onto the leash herself. The fact that another Hound had helped with it didn't escape her. But they were dead as well. Blown up. She couldn't find herself to hate the dead for aiding another who was still alive.

Alive.

Another word she didn't want to think about this day. Any other one would be fine. Not today though.

She reached over to the seat next to her, fingers brushing a soft petal from the bouquet that sat on leather beside her. Running her hand over the soft flowers she finally calmed and placed her hand back onto the wheel.

The headlights that cut through the otherwise dark expanse of feilds surrounding her and she drove straight along the lonely road between the swaying stalks in the mild breeze. She let out a sigh of relief when the tires hit the dirt road as she turned onto it. Once she made it here she knew no one could be following her. It was relaxing and exhilerating to know that she had done it again. Her eyes stayed focused on the thin road that winded up the side of the hill, weaving in and out of the trees on the darkest night of the month.

It was the only time she dared to come here. Somehow the shadows made her feel safe and inconspicuous.

"I'll be there soon." she murmured into the warm air surrounding her in the car. The scent of leather invaded her senses, it was so natural. Having caught his scent when he had been standing over her with the empty gun his had been natural as well. Making it clearly obvious that his clothes weren't holographic like the rest of them. She loved this car because it reminded her of him in that way.

Her foot pressed down on the brake a second later and opened the door, turning to grab the flowers she brought them to her face and drank in the smell. Swinging her legs out from the side she hopped down and walked over to the blank patch of dirt in the clearing.

Akane stood still for a moment, just looking down at the place he had died, at least that's what the report said, and nothing had come up to suggest otherwise. She went to slowly crouch down and felt her legs collapse out on her. Her knees hit the dirt hard and she drew in a shaky breath.

Finally her gaze moved from her legs back to the death bed. She had left the car running so the headlights illuminated the ground infront of her. The grass around her swayed softly, the whole placed looked rather surreal since the lights had been toned down, each blade seemed to glow.

Her hands gripped the bouquet hard, the muscles in her arms tightened. She raised it slowly trying to keep her arm from shaking, but soon her fingers were trembling even harder than usual and she loosened her arms so it subsided even a little. Setting them down she stared at the white lilys surrounding a single blue rose.

She took in a small breath just feeling the wind blow around her as she bit at her lip softly.

If only she had been able to stop Kogami, had gotten rid of the other bullets more effectivly. She breathed out and with it came the tears, "I'm sorry." she whispered.