The sun's beginning to descend over Radiant Garden.
They're walking along, like they always do, arm linked in arm linked in arm linked in arm in an unbroken line, their bodies connected as their hearts are. The golden rays pierce the deepening air around them like golden-shafted arrows, projectiles of pure light shot from the bow of the sky.
The first boy, the redhead, turns to his friends, grinning widely. Among the youth of Radiant Garden, he is renowned for his bright and open grin which seems to invite anyone who regards his face to join his circle of friends. The grin sends a sparkle through his brilliant turquoise eyes, which catch the last rays of sunlight like glimmering jewels.
"I'll bet you guys that I can make it home before any of you can," he says confidently.
The boy to his left rolls his emerald eyes to heaven, as if this challenge is nothing new.
"Lea, we know you can beat us all home. That's because you're the only one who ever wants to run."
The green-eyed boy promptly wins himself a sock in the arm.
"You're just jealous, Isa."
The boy—Isa—regards his friend's challenging expression with a bit of a sarcastic expression.
"Lea, the only thing I will ever be jealous of you for is… well, I'll let you know when I find out."
Lea sticks his tongue out, affecting offense.
"Really mature, Hokama."
He pulls it back in. "I still say I can beat you."
Isa doesn't respond.
"Come on, one of you guys will run with me, right?" He glances to his left and right. "Girls? Come on, if Isa's too much of a wimp to race, you girls will do it, right?"
"I'm not running anywhere," the black-haired girl says evenly. "I agree with Isa on this one."
"You agree with Isa on all of them," Lea says.
The girl shrugs. "I'm not running."
He glances right. "What about you, Lis? You'll race me, right?" He takes on a pleading expression. "Pleeeeease?"
She tries to hide her laughter; she wants to agree with the others, but there's no arguing with Lea's pleading face, especially for her.
"Fine, Lea. I'll run. But you're going to win anyway."
His bright smile just makes her laugh harder.
He unhooks his arms from his friends', turning to face them. "Okay, here's what we'll do. We all split up, and each take a different route to the plaza outside our houses. Whoever gets there first wins, and the losers have to… uhhh… I'll figure that part out," he adds hastily.
"Since when are we running?" the other girl asks, her eyebrows shooting up.
"Since I just said so," Lea tells her, cutting off all other argument by spinning back around to face the road. "Ready… set… go!"
He takes off running at full speed, sprinting as fast as he can go down the street.
Lis shrugs good-naturedly and sets off at a slower sprint behind him.
Sighing in resignation, the other two follow them at a much more leisurely run.
The street around Lea is quiet; not a sound can be heard but for the pounding of his feet and the shallow scrapes of his breath across his quickly-drying throat. His red mane of spikes whips crazily as he runs past the numberless houses lining the residential streets of Radiant Garden, each one flashing into a blur as he passes by.
Slowly, although he is not sure how exactly he comes to know, Lea senses that he is being followed.
Every brief glance behind him reveals nothing; nothing but flickering shadows and quickly descending evening.
Here and there, a flash of lamplight yellow, like a pair of bright eyes—
Lea's own eyes widen.
He could swear that he just saw that shadow move.
Just an inch—
And then it is a swarm, a living tide of creeping shadows that floods across the street and after the running boy; and now he isn't just racing anymore, he's running, running for his life.
And all in the space of a second.
Lea reaches the plaza breathless, panting, with the shadows still following him close behind. His friends have not arrived yet; he is alone.
He needs to warn them to run, to get away from the tide of darkness. What will happen to Lea cannot be helped, he knows.
He cannot stand the idea of Isa going down beneath the shadows.
Of Zanna caught within the torrent of darkness.
Of Liseth, crying out as the monsters drag her under and devour her.
He turns to face the horde, pulling out his two trusty flying discs, his favorite toys and weapons.
Let's see you come.
He will take them all alone.
Then suddenly, they are there, a wall between him and the monsters.
His friends, emerging from the other streets, torrents and tidal waves of shadow pouring out into the plaza behind them.
Lea's turquoise eyes widen in horror.
Is there nowhere safe from the flood?
"Lea!" The sounds of their voices bring him back to reality. They are around him now, the four of them forming a closed circle, back to back. None of them, save Lea with his discs, are armed.
"What are we going to do?" Liseth's voice is scared and small. Lea is surprised that he can hear it; it hits him then how little noise the swarm is making. It's a literal tide of shadows sweeping toward them over the avenue.
A trickle of icy fear runs down his spine.
How has all this happened so quickly? It was only fifteen minutes ago we were on our way home like every day…
Lea shoves the thought aside. No time to concentrate on such things now.
"We'll never get out of this," Zanna says, glancing at Isa.
"Yeah, we will," Lea says. "Don't give up yet. There's four of us and only… a million of them!"
"Is that supposed to make us feel better?" Isa asks, a touch of his usual sarcasm coming out despite the quiet worry in his voice.
Lea shrugs. "I had to say something," he replies, trying to maintain a light tone, as if this were just another practice spar, just a game.
Not the fight of their lives.
Isa looks at him seriously. "You know… we're going to die."
Lea sighs. "I know, man. But can we at least go down fighting? Or if not fighting, then smiling? I don't wanna die all depressed…"
Isa cracks a small smile at this. "You're insane, Lea Hokama."
"You too, Isa Rain." Lea holds out a hand, giving his friends a last, desperate smile.
"Ready for the end?"
"Ready."
The answer is strong from three throats.
Four hearts turn to face the darkness.
They are quickly overtaken.
There is barely a chance to fight, barely a chance to begin fighting before Lea's discs are swept away by the massive tide of shadows.
Him, the only one with a weapon, left unarmed and completely defenseless.
The others never stood a chance.
Zanna screams; a high-pitched, desperate sound that he has never heard her make before. It is a sound of pure terror and pain.
"Isa! Help me!"
Lea turns, tries to see where she is. Where's Zanna, where's Isa?
They are lost in a raging torrent of darkness.
Suddenly, a flash of blue shoots through the sea.
"I'm coming, Zan!"
Isa. He's trying so hard, trying to fight his way through, but there's no use.
Lea watches the monsters descend on his best friend, one after the other.
The first hit is from a monster in armor, and it takes Isa right between the eyes. Two quick slashes, and the boy is down, cradling his bleeding face and screaming, screaming, screaming.
"Zanna!"
A claw through his back; Isa's face twists into a mask of pain and shock.
And then he vanishes.
"Isa!" Lea's scream is so anguished, he can hardly believe it's his own voice that's cried out. Tears of grief flood his eyes, but he cannot shed a single one before he hears another scream.
"Isa!"
"Zanna!" he calls out, searching for the girl. She can't have seen Isa die…
He sees her only in time to see her pierced through the chest by a monster's claw; she, too, vanishes in an instant.
Two friends, gone in the space of a second.
Only one left, now… and Lea's heart leaps into his throat as he hears a third scream; this time, though, Isa's not the one being called for.
"Lea!"
"Lis! Where are you?" His voice is desperate, ragged. The others are gone.
He can't lose her, too.
"Lea! Help me, please!"
He's looking all around, all around; all he sees is black.
Where, where, where…
There. There she is, surrounded on all sides by creeping shadows. Tears streak down her face as they draw nearer to her.
There's no way he can reach her in time, but he has to try.
He jumps down from the ledge he stands on, kicking and smashing out at shadows with hands and feet, trying for a path, fighting with bloody hands—
But it's too late.
"Le—" Her scream is cut off by a claw; through her back and out her chest, the shadowy talon dripping with red.
And Liseth vanishes.
"Liseth!" And now his heart is truly rent in two.
Isa, Zanna, Liseth. All dead, all gone.
Lea is the only one who remains.
Not that he will be here much longer. The monsters close in around him, their talons raised in menace.
Lea kneels before them, bowing his head. His will to fight is gone.
Two teardrops leak from his eyes, one on either side of his face.
"Isa… Zanna… Liseth…"
The teardrops are still on his cheeks when a flash of pain shoots through his chest.
Then there is nothing.
Nothing at all.
Axel glances into the mirror in his new room, inspecting his reflection.
He's already seen Is—Saïx's scar.
He should feel bad, feel sorry, feel guilty.
He feels nothing.
The mirror regards him coolly; from its depths gaze two turquoise eyes, devoid of all emotion. Shiny, glass orbs, they could be, for all the feeling they hold.
The sharp-featured, angular face; the bright red, insanely spiked hair. All is as it was at the exact moment of his demise.
Except…
Axel touches his cheeks gently, where two inverted teardrops have appeared, one just beneath each shimmering turquoise eye.
Lea's final tribute to his fallen friends.