Chapter One: Cemetery Lane
It was a night of encompassed tragedy and fear; one the world had been exposed to on numerous occasions and it would be this very night which would spark a meeting of chance to conspire. For in an eerie section of Gotham City, tucked away within the confines of a forest like perimeter remained a cemetery. The earth beneath the lush grass, blanketed by a thick layer of frost were the preserved lives, memories, overall existence of those once lost to the battle of breath. It was a place of misery, loss; a place meant to reconnect and allow those to remember past loved ones; a place of pain where shed tears soaked and stained the ground beneath them, but more importantly, it was a place of silence.
Towering metal gates surrounded the furthest surrounding limits of said cemetery as if to divide and act as a barrier between the life of the living and the resting place of the deceased. The day was not like any other and had brought more funerals than just one; merely adding to the numerous alignment of pillars constructed of thick granite headstones which were plotted in perfect sequence, and tomorrow cried with chance of continuing the growth of those who remained here. And yet, tonight brought more silence then usual due to the relentless falling snow which had picked up an hour previous which in any event had filtered the number of visitors on such a cold dreary night. Although, that did not mean there were none.
As of now, standing in a hesitant slouch remained a young woman. She lingered before the large, intimidating cemetery entrance, her tear-stained emerald eyes peeked out beneath her elegant black hat, mimicking the snow in silence as they peered at her surroundings through the metal barred gates. How long she had been there contemplating her decision on whether or not to enter... she didn't know. Draped in a traditional attire of black her chilled skin, tight against the lack of shield her dress offered trembled against the nights dreadfully harsh weather, her mind frozen to any prolonged amount of thought.
Turning a black heel which vanished once more as she plunged it back into the thick layer of snow beneath her feet she made her way back to her car on the premise that she had decided against her initial ridiculous plan to venture here helplessly in the first place. Reaching her car her hand came to a pause as it curled around the handle, her mind coming alert to the crunching footsteps which grew louder behind her. Her swollen eyes involuntarily turned, another tortured sole, much like herself, exited the cemetery gates which slammed behind him in a loud, vibrating bang. She swallowed hard feeling somewhat odd at her inability to look away. The gentleman's dark eyes snapped to hers and with a weak closed-mouthed smile he gave her a brief nod and continued his way to his car.
With this the woman's eyes settled on the tall gates once more and after a moment of thought her mind suddenly became alert; her decision to leave inevitably changing. Removing her hand from the car she paused long enough to notice the slim bottle of liquor that stared back at her from the passenger seat as if coaxing her not to dismiss its certain ability to soften her pain; or at least she felt this way. With a deep inhale she quickly retrieved the bottle and found herself once again staring up at the entrance of the cemetery.
Sparing no opportune time for her mind to come crashing down on the courage she had managed to muster in this moment she tucked the bottle beneath her arm and leaned into the gate. Her pale hands met frozen metal as she coaxed the enormous latch up and quickly wedged herself through the opening. Once on the other side, the gate falling shut with a loud vibration once more, it was now that antagonizing consistent tension in her chest returned. She didn't want to be here but she knew she had to be; it was the least she could do after what happened.
Her vacant eyes skimmed through the gloomy sea of headstones before her, the sight only deepening her depression. This place may have been fairly new to her but she had been here before and only needed the luminescent glow of the full moon which dominated in a hover above dark, ominous clouds to find her way.
She walked, her uneasy footing carrying her for a long while, ignoring the continuation of the powdered snow that fell all around her, clinging to every object in sight. Eventually, her mind came to a halt, her body following suit as her vision focused on a particular gravestone only feet from her presence now. Her eyes blinked lifelessly, a feeling of denial engulfing her.
She knew there was nothing anyone could do to change what had happened; to return the life of her loved one and yet, her mind could not grasp the reality of such a loss. The proof, she knew, was right before her eyes taunting back at her unapologetically; not even her tears could ease such uncertainty.
For a long while she just lingered, her body sitting emotionless among the frost beneath her. The bottle of liquor half gone now as she just stared back at the engraved name, as if by some miracle, with time, it would somehow suddenly change. The truth? The name should have been her own and she knew all too well this death was meant for her, which didn't exactly make any part of this situation any less difficult. No, the cold, unflinching emotion that darkened her heart only deepened with each passing second; heightening in an unbearable confirmation of guilt and deceit, her body responding in a lifeless daze and emotionless exterior while on the inside her ever nerve was screeching in agony.
There was a brief disturbance in the silence around her resembling that of an undesired presence. Separating herself from her own thoughts she glanced around slowly undeniably unsure whether or not admittance to the cemetery at this hour was even permitted. But as no one came into view she carelessly lifted the liquor bottle to her lips.
"Excuse me..." Came a calm yet strong voice dripping with concern.
The woman lowered the bottle from her mouth, a tall dark-haired man standing beside her now, his piercing blue eyes focused down on her. In no mood to acknowledge the stranger nor did she have any interest in what he could possibly say, she returned her attention to the gravestone. A sudden sense of annoyance settled over her as he spoke again.
"I... I'm sorry to interrupt but... are you alright?" There was a moment of silence between the two as he waited for a reply that was destined to be ignored. The man hesitated taking notice of the woman's desperate hand which clung tightly around a bottle. "Look... I realize this is none of my business but you could really get sick staying out here like this."
When the man remained firm in his expectation of a reply the woman sighed. Her gaze looked up at the full moon, her hat the only thing shielding her face from the merciless snow. When her voice sounded, the man suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest; her words were shaken, lifeless and drained.
"Do you ever feel like nothing is ever going to get better? That... that your entire life is just this big twisted mess destined to do nothing more then tear you down?" She sighed. "Your welcomed with deceit, hate, judgement and eventually... after so much you just..." She paused looking up to him, tears flooding her vision. "... and you find yourself wondering, questioning, whether your existence is even worth it?" She shrugged helplessly, the man's crystalline eyes staring back at her in worry. "... if it wouldn't just be easier to ... let go?" As she said this his jaw involuntarily tightened in hesitancy, no words forming while her eyes wandered back to the grave with a slight laugh. "Not my sister. She would always tell me the blunt truth no matter how ugly it was, and she was right... this life only gets harder."
The women felt sudden surprise as the stranger sat beside her with a heavy sigh, his arms resting over his angled knees. "I take it this is your sister?"
"Komi..." She looked to him with a smile, finding herself suddenly drawn to conversation with him; something that was not to be considered normal since her sisters passing. "What's your name?"
"Richard."
"I'm Kori." Another brief pause took to life, the only sound between them was the falling of snow. "So who brought you here?"
"What?" He asked, slightly confused.
"I take it you don't just hang out in cemeteries in the middle of a snowy night if no one was here waiting for you."
"Right ummm..."
With his hesitation and the obvious discomfort which settled over his features, Kori shrugged one shoulder. "It's alright. I understand if you don't want to talk about it. To be honest I'm surprised I told you as much as I did."
Richard inhaled deeply, the fact being that he would have preferred not discussing why he was here but he couldn't deny the fact she had opened up to him and for some reason he felt comfortable with her. It was obvious, to him, that this was a result of the look in her eyes, her gentle voice which drew him into revealing his past.
"Uh... no its fine. I'm here because of my... parents."
"Both of them?" She said with a small slur. When he nodded in confirmation she shook her head. "I'm sorry. How long have they..." She fell short of words, the reality being she wasn't exactly comfortable with speaking terms of death and wasn't sure it would offend him or not. So, she remained quiet, focused on his dark burrowed brows.
"Eleven years." He glanced up at the tombstone, noticing the recent date engraved beneath her sisters' name. "I can see you've only begun the grieving process?" He gave her a comforting, understanding smile. "I'm sorry."
Kori nodded, pressing her lips inward in an attempt to hold back her urge to weep. "Yea... the funeral was this morning. It doesn't really even seem real. I can't... I just..." Her right hand moved rapidly before her as she strived for the proper explanation of her feelings, tears slowly leaking with the presence of Richard's hand upon her back sympathetically. "... Its like I can still feel her here. Her life... her warmth,... its all still here; everywhere."
Consumed in pure thought Richard hesitated then after brief contemplation he took to his feet. His body remained at an angle to her as he lowered a hand down to her. "Sitting in the snow and trying to drink away the sorrow you feel... it isn't going to help, believe me."
Kori's attention moved back and forth between those electric blue eyes of his which held such warmth and his moonlit hand. "I'm fine. Thank you though."
He leaned his body forward in a very persistent manner, leaving his hand only inches from her. "Please, I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving you alone like this. All I'm offering is casual conversation over a cup of coffee. That simple... that innocent."
(A/N) So this is my first story and I'm not entirely sure I'll be continuing. I suppose it depends on what you all think. Your reviews will be appreciated.