A/N: Hello, loyal readers and newcomers. First of all, I just want to express my gratitude for you guys even bothering to click on this story. It warms this big, fat heart of mines. You guys are officially the most awesome people on the net.

Secondly (and call me crazy, if you will), I just want to let everyone know that this fic will be a little…er, different, if you will. It'll still have romance and the pairing is still RataMarta. But, uh, well, uh…it may contain a fair amount of incest? Yeah, I know what you're thinking, "Um, aren't Ratatosk and Marta not related by any means?" Well, yes and no. Yes, they are by NO MEANS related to one another. But in THIS story, they will be. Makes sense now? (Sweat drop) So if you are squeamish towards the subject or don't like the idea of the two being related, then you may want to read my other works of the same pairing.

And for those who decided, "to heck with it", welcome again.

And lastly, this is just the prologue. So the real story will take place next chapter. Now enjoy!

It hurts.

It hurt everywhere.

I can feel my body getting colder and colder by the second. And yet, there's a pool of warmth that settles on the middle of my chest and runs down the front of my body. My head feels hazy and my eyes tear up a little.

The pain is unbearable.

There's no sound, other than the shallow wisps of breath escaping my chapped (iron tasting?) lips. I think I hear someone gasp behind me. I'm not entirely sure since my head is still swimming from the pain on my abdomen. But I think there's someone behind me.

Everything is spinning.

Something warm and rough brushes against my hand. And it's then do I realize that I'm pressed painfully against someone. I glance down and vaguely make out a tan hand wrapped around my own that's hanging at the side of my bent thigh. I also notice that I'm kneeling on cold ground. There's pressure on the side of my head and golden tendrils poke my cheek and the juncture between my neck and shoulder. The breathing behind me becomes clearer now. It's a male, I think, judging from the groans and contour of arm muscle fitted against my limp arm.

'Wait a… a male?'

"M-Marta!"

I remember this voice.

A lone tear trails over the side of my face. The pain starts to intensify and everything pulls back into place.

I remember it now.

"Ra-Ratatosk-nngh!" I feel a jolt of pain and I can't help but jerk from it. My hands fly to the source of it and are immediately met with something sharp and jagged.

It hurts to breathe.

I see a long blade penetrating my chest, a pool of blood staining my clothes, and I'm overcome with memories of the few brief moments before this occurrence.

I just wanted to protect him.

The sight alone causes me to cough up blood, sprinkling my hands with the crimson substance meant to keep me alive. But here I am, bleeding it out like water…counting down the seconds to my death. Ugh, and there's the pain again. Why does it have to hurt so badly?

Why me?

Why him?

"I-It's ok, Marta." He sucks in air, probably from the agonizing pain attacking us both. "I'll make sure," he says as his hands rest on either side of the blade, suppressing a grunt by hissing through his teeth, "that you get out of this alive." His hands, despite the vital wound, tightly grip the edges, preparing to pull it out from between us.

And it's ironic because I said that I always wanted to be together with him. Yet, it looks like I will be together with him after all…in death.

But we were fated to end.

I'm getting scared, really scared, and I'm not sure what to expect after we're released from it. Will we make it out alive? Are we going to die here without anyone knowing? And what of our friends, family? What about them?

"You ready…Marta?"

To be honest, I don't think I'm ready to face the next minute. Somewhere, deep in my heart, I have this feeling that we truly aren't going to make it. That the effort he's making to help us will ultimately be in vain. He'll bleed to death. He'll never get to see the fruition of his hard work. Never will he see peaceful days; ones spent with his loved ones…with me. His life will end before he could live it.

And it'll all be because of me.

I hurt him. And now I'll be the reason why he dies.

Here's the birth of my guilt.

So I don't want peace, or heaven, or lazy days spent doing nothing but talking in hushed whispers. I don't need the longing glances, the brushing of hands, or the promises of eternal love. I'll gladly give all that up if only so he could live. I'm the one who deserves death. Not him.

But I'm so scared. I'm scared to live an afterlife without him. He was all I ever needed… I realized all too late. He protected me, cared for me, and only had my well being in mind. But I kept pushing him away; pushing away the feelings I was growing in my heart. And it took betraying him to realize that I loved Ratatosk.

I'm a cruel person, indeed.

And I hate that, despite my noble intentions to let him go, I selfishly want to bind him to me. I don't want to forget his gruff, but gentle behavior; the way he easily gets embarrassed whenever I hug him; how his bullion eyes can turn sharp when fighting, but soften when wiping tears out of my eyes; how he always encourages me to walk forward when I want nothing more than to sit down and pretend my problems never existed; or…how he always promised to protect me, be my savior during the most dire of times.

And here he was…still trying to save me.

"Don't be scared, Marta."

He's attempting to sound confident, sure of his decision. But he must be feeling the anxiety as well. He has to be. I know I am.

"Don't worry. I'll…I'll make sure…you come out of this…a-alive."

Determination is what's pushing him now. But he's breathing more deeply. And there's a slight shake to his hands. But he's playing it off for my sake.

Playing the hero.

My hands are trembling too—this could be the end. I sucked in a breath at the thought, fearing the impending death to come. This would be the last I see of him. I'll never see his golden hair sway with the wind, his red eyes shining under the sun's rays or his lips form that smirk I've come to love.

There won't be a heaven for me.

I hesitantly bring my hands to overlap his, silently praying that it won't be a quick death—just a few minutes, no matter how much it hurt, would suffice to ingrain the image of his face in my mind. I just want the last thing I see on this planet to be him. Only him. I think I could die with that. But how I wish for more…something better than this. I want the promise of forever. I want the awkward moment that comes from brushing skin or holding hands. I want his searing gaze that makes my stomach flutter and my heart to race. I want it all.

I want to be selfish, not selfless.

I want Ratatosk and I want to live beside him.

"R-Ratatosk…I…I…" I don't even try to hide the sadness coating my words or the tears clouding my eyes. It's too much to hold in, especially in this situation. I feel cheated. I had so much more I wanted to do, places to see, feelings to be felt. But it was being taken from me in these last moments. It's not fair. It's just not fair!

"I know." Those words sound like the finale.

The end's drawing near.

But I have to face this head-on. There's no more time to prolong the inevitable.

No matter how sad it might be.

I close my eyes for a second, picturing the faces of all the people important to me, trying to remember every moment passed with laughter and peace. I think of my home with the lush garden of flowers and the bluest sky I've ever seen. I see my dad smiling at me and my mom patting my head affectionately. I think of my friends, whom I came to trust and rely on. And I think of him too.

I tighten my grip on Ratatosk's hands and let the last tear fall down my face. This is it.

"Ratatosk, I–!"

The sound of flesh splitting, blood dripping to the ground. And just like that…the world blackens.

I'm sorry.

End Notes: Well, there you have it. And just in case you were wondering, I purposefully meant to make the setting, situation and who was speaking (at the beginning) vague. In due time, you'll see where this scene plays out. But until then, I have to keep you guys in the dark.

So leave me a review about what you thought of the prologue while I get started on the first chapter.