A/N: Okay... Kind of in a depressed mood for some reason, I think it was In the Beginning's story Lost Pictures of the Past... What are you still doing here? Go read that! It was excellent, a huge bow for that. Anyway, enough groveling, (right word?) here we go! Time for an emo fic! Also time for my first (sort of) Deathfic. This is basically a story that is about the romance shared between a Second Opinion character and an OC, which is a neko, so... If you don't like that, turn around. It is a story that connects with Rinken's Wrath so if you haven't read Rinken's Wrath and plan to and/or are not finished reading it yet and don't want to spoil it for yourself, you might want to turn on around also. This is a huge challenge, which is why I'm writing it. I am not a pairing/romance kind of girl, so this is... very difficult. I'll give it a try! Wish me luck and cross your fingers.
"He's beautiful, honey..." Sgorr cooed, cradling his and Cybil's infant. She smiled up at her husband and son, barely hanging on.
"He's our boy, Sgorr..." she whispered, dark eyes flickering behind pale eyelids.
"Babe..." He took her by the hand, eyes full of concern. "Just hang on a little longer, okay?"
"I... don't think I can, darling..." she told him, gripping his hand as tightly as she was able in hers.
"You... you have to, Cybil, you can't... d--..." his voice trailed off as he choked on the final word. It wasn't her time... It wasn't supposed to be so soon...
Nurses in the room whispered quietly amongst themselves, pitying the poor neko man who was about to become a father and a widower on the same day.
Cybil had given birth to Sgorr's child that morning, only to find that she was going to die on her son's birthday. She'd strained so hard that blood vessels had popped, leading to internal bleeding that could very well be repaired... but Cybil refused to have it done.
She had explained that if dying meant she could be there to witness her son's first minutes of life, she was willing to do so. There was a chance her body could last a whole hour without repair, but her risk went up the longer she waited. Sgorr had strongly interjected, but she disregarded his wishes. She was going to be there, conscious and alert, as she lived her last hour beside her fateful husband and newborn child.
Sgorr's mind raced as the clock ticked away, counting down the final 10 minutes Cybil was expected to live. The heart monitor beeped only occasionally, becoming more faint as Cybil slowly perished. The bleeding had become more profuse; still she rejected surgeons' offers. She wanted to be there no matter what, and she was.
"Cybil please!" Sgorr blurted out. "Please, have the operation done! You can't leave me, not now! You can see our son when you're well, please let there be a time where you can see him!"
"I can see him now..."
"I know you can, I know, but... I want you to see him grow up! I want you to be there, Cybil!"
"I'm too far gone... We knew the risks when we tried to get pregnant... We knew I might have been too old to even conceive... But we did, and we also got to term... I'm happy... for that..."
"You have your whole life ahead of you, don't... don't throw that away..." he murmured, fighting back tears. "I want to live the rest of it with you..."
"Sgorr..." she whispered, luring him closer. "I... I loved you... so much... We had some great times, you made me feel whole again... It's been a fine 10 years... And I'm glad I spent them with you..."
"We still have more years to spend together... With our son, too..." he ran his hand through her gray and black hair, the gray strands accounting for age. He had always picked them out, teasing her about them, and she'd always laugh and give him a little slug on the shoulder, but he still found her beautiful... No matter what she looked like now, she was beautiful in his eyes. And she would be until he died.
Cybil turned her attention towards the baby, who they named Sgorr Jr. It was a suitable name, though Sgorr disagreed with naming his child after him. He had wanted a daughter so he could name her after Cybil, but in the end, the child was indeed a boy and was called Sgorr Jr.
"My boy..." she whispered, stroking his brown ears. His hair was black like hers, though he took after his father and kept the cat ears and tail trait (for some half neko half humans dropped that trait if the father or mother was also half neko half human).
"Don't you want to see him grow up, Cybil...?"
"I wish I could... But... I already decided this should be my fate..." Her eyes closed slowly.
In turn, Sgorr Junior's eyelids lifted, revealing what resembled Cybil's dark eyes.
"Honey--!" Sgorr choked, gasping at the sight. "Cybil, Cybil he has your eyes! They're beautiful!"
The clock struck 10:32am, 5 minutes after Cybil's death time was expected. Sgorr became frantic, fearing the worst.
"Cybil, open your eyes... Please, please open your eyes... You have to see your son's eyes, they're as beautiful as yours!" he pled for many moments, only receiving nervous stares from the nurses who had been present.
"Take him!" Sgorr growled, handing his bundle of a son to one of the nurses, instructing another to come forward. "Get stabilizer, fast! I need just one more minute with her! Please!"
The frightened nurse obeyed, shuffling through a drawer and drawing a syringe of stabilizer. She injected Cybil in the arm, anxiously awaiting a response.
"Thank you, now leave!" he waved her away with his hand and all the nurses exited with her.
"Nngh..." Cybil groaned, opening her wary eyes one last time.
"Cybil..." Sgorr took her in his arms, caressing her and kissing her before she left. "Cybil... I... I love you Cybil, I always have and always will... Oh, I love you..."
"Sgorr..." she choked, sobbing as tears filled his eyes. She had never seen such a man cry this way, nor had she ever intended to do something to make this gentle creature that was her spouse weep.
"Don't cry, my love..." he whispered, burying his face in her shoulder.
"Sgorr... I... I love you... too... I'm... sorry..."
"Sorry for what...? You made me the happiest man I could ever be..."
"I... I'm..." her eyes widened only a moment, relaxing again as she died. She had fought hard and long, but her body couldn't stand the pressure. Cybil Myers (for she had not taken Sgorr's last name because nekos didn't have legal ones) was gone.
"Cybil...? Oh... Oh no... Cybil... CYBIL!!" Sgorr cried her name one last time, shaking his head as he sobbed. His wife of 10 years was dead. It couldn't be...
Nurses, including a few buff, male nurses, had to escort the panicked neko man out of the room. He thrashed and fought all the way into the hallway, screaming and bawling. How could this happen?
OooooooO
A week after her tragic death, the worst of the nightmares had subsided. The screaming infant never knew he was without a mother, but he knew he was without the love and attention he needed to thrive. Sgorr had become distant and closed to the world, never to love again. He couldn't even find it in his heart to love his own son... Not after Cybil had died because of him.
"Keep crying... I don't know what you want..." Sgorr mumbled, glaring at the squirming infant in his crib. "I fed you, what more do you want from me, huh?"
The baby continued to cry, reaching his little arms up to his father.
"You don't deserve my time... I wanted to raise you with Cybil, not without her... I'm a horrible father..." He slowly broke into another frenzy of tears, sobbing until he puked.
After gathering his emotions, he picked up his son, apologizing as he cradled him. "You're all I have left of Cybil's heart..."
The rest of that day, Sgorr focused on nothing but his son. Cybil would have wanted him to love and raise him, with or without her. If she believed in him, he had to pull himself together and raise their son alone. He could do it if he tried... He knew he could.
OooooooO
Sgorr Jr. was a month old, already beginning to groom his ears and tail as Sgorr had taught him. He was growing bigger every day, becoming a son Sgorr couldn't help but love.
"Where are the damn keys...?" Sgorr muttered, checking beneath the sofa and chair in the den. After several minutes of searching, he discovered not his keys, but an old college picture. He picked it up and examined it, blowing off the dust to reveal the photograph. It was none other than Cybil and Greg.
In the picture, the two had their arms slung over one another. They were smiling brightly, a beautiful spring background illuminated by the apparently warm sun. They were slightly sweating as well, adding to the impression that the sun had been toasty that day. Were they on spring break, perhaps?
Cybil and Greg had shared great times together, as Cybil had told Sgorr, and she was resentful to marry Sgorr because of the ties she still had to her former love, Greg.
Sgorr had pressed hard for her to accept his hand in marriage, but they had made a fatal mistake by inviting Greg to the wedding. He had seemed crushed, almost on the verge of tears as he watched them wed. It was painful to see that one person in the crowd look so miserable while everyone else was as happy as could be.
Sgorr had recalled seeing Greg at the funeral, and though they had exchanged glances, Sgorr hadn't the courage to say anything to him. Seeing this picture, he knew what had to be done...
He took the picture, wrote a quick note on the back, and stuck it in an envelope.
"I'll be right back Sgorr Jr., okay? Behave yourself," Sgorr said as he pat the boy on the head, rushing out the door and down the sidewalk. Greg Kasal's house was within walking distance, being only a mile away, so he decided he'd drop by and deliver the picture to him personally. Sgorr Jr. would be alright in the time being.
The streets grew dark as night approached. It was a cold autumn night, not the time for a neko man to be out delivering a message to a human who lived a mile away. It had to be less than 20 degrees outside, and Sgorr hadn't brought a jacket. His teeth clattered as he made his way toward Greg's house.
The dry leaves crunched beneath his feet as he approached the house. He had to be only three feet away when it happened.
The gunshot resounded through the neighborhood, leaving all breathless as they watched from their houses as a man on the sidewalk collapsed. The drive-by shooters cackled manically, satisfyingly driving away.
Greg Kasal stepped out onto the front porch, looking around anxiously to see if anyone had been shot. He then set his eyes upon his front lawn, where a wounded neko laid dying.
"Sir!" Greg shouted, rushing over to him. "Sir, can you hear me?" He drew nearer, discovering it wasn't just anyone; it was Sgorr.
"G-Greg... Kasal..." the neko man choked, spitting and coughing up blood.
"Sgorr!" he shrieked, staring wide-eyed at Cybil's widower. "Where have you been shot?!" No sooner had he asked did he spot a fine, round hole at the base of his chest, where the bullet had entered. He quickly discovered the shell of the bullet beneath him, where it had exited through his back. He came to the conclusion that the bullet had entered and exited through the chest, and it had nicked the heart if not other important organs and/or blood vessels he judged by the amount of bleeding.
"Hold on, I'm going to help you!" he declared, beginning to stand up. Sgorr pulled him back down, shaking his head.
"I... have a message..." He shakily reached into his chest pocket, pulling out the blood-covered envelope. He offered it to Greg.
Greg took it hesitantly, reluctant to accept it before helping Sgorr.
"Open it..." he ordered, eyes filling with tears.
Greg shook his head, again trying to stand up. Sgorr pulled him done once more, gritting his teeth as the pain consumed him.
"I can help you..." Greg said, putting the envelope aside. "Just let me--..."
Sgorr sputtered, eyes rolling up into the back of his head. He only jolted a few times before dying and choking out a final "Sorry".
"Sgorr..." Greg whispered.
A blood pool formed around Sgorr's body, nearly soaking Greg's pants before he stood up. He trembled, stepping away from the dead neko. How... unreal it was...
Remembering the envelope, he picked it up and opened it, pulling out the old college photo he'd taken with Cybil years before. He smiled, reminiscing and recalling those fond memories, taking it in all over again. Had the air not reeked of blood, he could have sworn he smelled the sweet aroma of spring itself, just like on that day.
Overturning the picture, he laid his eyes upon a note that appeared to be handwritten, though it was in small print and quite difficult to decipher. At last, he was able to make it out.
I'm sorry. I think Cybil always loved you, and you probably deserved her more than I did.
Sgorr