Chapter 7: Gone
The rest of the group all looked down at the phenomenon that was now encompassed inside of Nightheart's right eye. Lelouch looked down at his daughter in shock.
"Geass…that's impossible…It's not something that's passed down genetically…" Lelouch looked over at Kirito and saw that his body began to tremble as he also realized what happened.
Nightheart…she's the one…the aura came from her…but she didn't need to risk her life to save me! Tears began to glisten in his eyes and slowly drop down onto her black fur.
"So…Kirito survived…because Nightheart's Geass?" Cherryfall asked.
"That's…what I'm believing. My Geass has the power to command…but I think Nightheart has the power to protect…" Lelouch softly spoke, looking down at his daughter who was in a critical condition. "All Geass have their drawbacks…and Nightheart's…must be to take the damage of the person she used it on…"
"Nightheart, why?! Why risk your life to save mine?" Kirito yelled. "Coming to this world, all I've done is make mistakes! I put us in this fight, and...now you're dying…because of me. Why would you save me?" A small smile formed on Nightheart's face and Kirito watched her right eye return to normal.
"Because…I couldn't…bear seeing you die, Kirito. I didn't know…that I had this power…but…I'm glad…" Nightheart winced in pain. "I'm glad that…you're still alive...Kirito. I…didn't want to…let others lose you. They can experience…the moments we've had too."
"But…what about you? Your father just came back into your life and now…because of me…" Kirito was still at a loss for words regarding the she-cat's sacrifice.
"Being…able to meet him…made me happy." She looked over at Lelouch, who was in the same state Kirito was in. "Father…I'm sorry that…this happened…but…I love him…"
"It's okay, Nightheart…I know how happy you were spending time with him…" Nightheart then looked over at Asuna.
"Asuna…I…know it's wrong…but…" Asuna shook her head.
"No…it's okay, Nightheart…I'm not mad at all…how could I be? I'm happy that he makes you feel that way."
"I'm glad…that you feel that way…" She let out another cough, more blood escaping from her mouth. "Father…tell mother that…I'm thankful for everything…she's done…for me."
"You can tell her that yourself…Nightheart, I'm not going to lose you! Not here!" Lelouch activated his Geass and looked into his daughter's partly closed eyes. "Nightheart…don't die…please…" The red outline appeared around her eyes, but he watched as they slowly began to close and her head rested slowly on the floor below. The others all looked at Nightheart's lifeless body, tears falling from each of their eyes. "You…" Lelouch slowly turned his gaze over to Kirito and lunged towards him, pinning him down to the ground, Kirito not struggling to escape the tom's grasp. "Nightheart's dead because of you! If we didn't fight, none of this would've happened!"
"Lelouch, get off of him!" Molewhisker yelled, trying to pull the tom off of Kirito. Asuna ran over to help, and once they got him off, Lelouch panted for his breath.
"Please don't take your sadness out on Kirito, Lelouch. He's as devastated as you are!" Asuna told him, looking over at Kirito, who was still crying over Nightheart's death.
"I…just…I…" Asuna watched as the tom's eyes slowly closed and his body rocked back and forth, Asuna moving next to him to break his fall.
"This is all my fault…if StarClan didn't give me that stupid vision!" Alderpaw smacked a paw on the ground. "Sandstorm…and Nightheart would still be alive…"
"Alderpaw…you were just doing what you thought was right." Suguha assured him.
"She's right. A message from StarClan has to mean something important, and that's why we went on this journey." Needlepaw added.
"Hey, I know I don't want to break any of this up…but we should get out of here. We don't know when these rouges will wake up." Molewhisker stated. "Cherryfall, can you help me carry Lelouch?" He asked his sister. "Suguha, Asuna, can you carry Nightheart?"
"Yeah." As Asuna looked down at Nightheart's body, her hazel eyes began to glow and she let out a small gasp.
"What is it, Asuna?" Suguha asked.
"Nightheart…she's still alive!"
"What?" Sparkpaw walked over to her, but couldn't tell if the she-cat was alive. "Are you sure?"
"Yes. From what I'm looking at, she's unconscious…just like Lelouch."
"But…the way she sounded…can we trust your power, Asuna?" Cherryfall asked.
"I hope so. Let's just get away from this place and head back to ThunderClan." She told them.
"But…the quest…" Sparkpaw meowed. "We need to find SkyClan."
"How can you say that with what just happened?" Alderpaw asked his littermate. "We can't stay anywhere near here. I'm not putting our lives in danger again. This quest…it was a complete failure. We just need to get back home safely now. That's all that matters to me." He could see that his sister wasn't expecting that reaction from him, causing him to sigh. "Let's get out of here." As the others exited the gorge, they noticed that Kirito didn't move from where he was, causing the others to worry.
"Suguha, can you carry Nightheart by yourself?" Asuna asked her.
"Asuna, I can help carry her with Suguha." Alderpaw offered.
"We all can, right, Sparkpaw?" Needlepaw stated, causing Asuna to smile.
"Thank you, you three." Asuna padded over to Kirito, while the others continued their journey. She could feel her heart sink when she realized that this was the most distraught that she had ever seen him. "Hey…we need to get going back to ThunderClan. Did you hear the news? Nightheart's still alive." Still, the tom stayed silent. "I know it's hard for you, but I'm sure she's going to be okay."
"How can you be sure?" He muttered inaudibly.
"What?"
"How can you be sure, Asuna? The way she sounded…how is it possible?" Asuna shook her head.
"I don't know. When I looked at her, my scanning ability didn't say she was dead." She swiped open her inventory and a stalk of marigold appeared.
"I don't need it, Asuna." Kirito told her. "Save it for the others who are wounded."
"Do you not see yourself? Your wounds need to be tended to."
"I don't deserve it, Asuna, okay?" He yelled, causing the she-cat to flinch. "I…don't deserve it…" Asuna didn't know how to get through to Kirito any more. She was worried about him and his well-being.
"Will you at least leave this gorge with me? We need to get far away from here as possible before any of them wake up."
"Maybe…it's best if I stay here…and let them kill me…" Asuna's hazel eyes began to glisten. She raised a paw up and swung it across Kirito's face.
"Do you think Nightheart risked her life just to have you throw yours away like that!? Kirito…Nightheart loves you…You can't just throw away her affection by killing yourself. You're going to hurt her even more if she wakes up and realizes that you're no longer there! Please, just stop trying to punish yourself!"
"Why should I if I deserve it!? Lelouch had every right to be mad at me. Losing his friendship isn't enough of a punishment…"
"Do you even hear yourself right now? I know I said it already…but at least for Nightheart, please try to keep on living." She could see tears fall from Kirito's eyes.
"Asuna…I'm sorry…but…I love her too. I just…want to be able to tell her that…"
"It's okay, I know you do. I'm not mad about it at all. You both have spent a lot of time together…which is why I don't understand why you're so keen on throwing away the life she let you continue living. Kirito, I know we've been through a lot…but after what Nightheart did…how can I be mad if you both love each other?" She gave him a comforting lick on the forehead. "You'll be able to tell her how you feel once we figure out what's going on."
"Right…"
"Are you ready to leave now?" Kirito nodded, but Asuna could see that he was still troubled about everything. "Okay, just follow me. The others are probably pretty far by now."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Moonlight filled the sky, Nightheart lying down on a grassy plain, alone. She slowly opened her eyes and got up, looking around for any of the others, but she didn't see any other cat around. Wh-where am I? Is this StarClan? It must be…but why am I all alone? Nightheart swiftly turned around at the sound of rustling at the edge of the plain where a forest began. She watched as a Twoleg emerged and she slowly began to back away. What's a Twoleg doing here?!
"Nightheart, there's no need to run away." Wait…does it know my name? From the sound it's a female. "I need you to come over here, please. It has to do with your father." Father! She knows about him? Is he in trouble? Nightheart slowly padded over to the Twoleg and once she was close enough, she petted her.
"What are you doing?"
"Right, sorry if it's making you uncomfortable." Nightheart looked up at the Twoleg in front of her.
"Wait…you can understand me?"
"Yes, but don't think all Twolegs can do that. I'm a special case." She responded. "Oh, I should introduce myself. My name is C.C., I'm a very close friend of your father's."
"I don't think he's ever told me about you, but it's nice to meet you…albeit a bit strange since you're a Twoleg." C.C. let out a giggle.
"I guess that's understandable. You must be wondering what you're doing here. To assure you, this isn't StarClan."
"It's not? Then where are we?"
"It's difficult to explain, but I guess you can say it's like StarClan." She responded. "Follow me." Nightheart followed C.C. into the forest, still unsure about where they were going.
"So…how do you know my father?"
"Well, we met back where he's originally from. I was the one who gave him the power of Geass." Nightheart stopped, causing C.C. to look back at her. "Is something wrong?"
"Do you know why I'm able to use it as well?"
"Sadly, I'm unsure myself as to why Geass has manifested in your eyes, as well as giving you that type of Geass. Usually it's granted by someone, such as myself, but you must be a special case. The only reasoning I can think of which is unheard of is that Lelouch somehow passed down the power of Geass to you. Again, that is just a speculation."
"I guess that makes sense. I'm glad it helped me protect Kirito…but…you told me that this isn't StarClan, so…did I survive my injuries?"
"In a way, yes and no. Your Geass' repercussion is that you sustain any injuries that the person you're protecting would've taken otherwise. The injury should've killed you...but…I'll explain once we get to where we need to be." The two trekked through the forest for a few more minutes until they reached a small clearing, a crystal being in the center of it. Once they got close, Nightheart was able to see that a Twoleg was trapped inside and it looked like they were in a deep slumber.
"Who is that?"
"Nightheart, this is your father."
"It…is? I guess I have to remember that he's not originally a cat. What's he doing in there?"
"He's the reason you're still alive. I had talked to him before talking to you and I'm not sure if you remember, but your father used his Geass on you to command you not to die. This wouldn't work under any normal circumstance, but since you have Geass, it worked, but only if Lelouch sacrificed his own life to save yours."
"No…my father's…going to die because of me?" Nightheart could feel tears beginning to form in her eyes. "Oh father…I love you so much!"
"Nightheart, there's no need to cry. Lelouch sacrificed his life, but he's still alive, but for the time being, he's trapped in that crystal."
"You mean…I'll get to spend time with him again?" C.C. nodded her head. "Oh thank StarClan! Oh, I should be thanking you, shouldn't I, C.C.?"
"In a way, but this whole crystal thing…I didn't know it was going to occur. That's still a mystery."
"So you don't know how to get him out of there?"
"Unfortunately. For the time being, his body will remain unconscious, but after this all, you'll wake up and I'm sure the others will be more than happy to see that you're okay, especially a certain tom." Nightheart blushed at her comment. "Spottedleaf and I will do our best to keep you all updated if anything comes up."
"Spottedleaf? ThunderClan's medicine cat from long ago?"
"Yes. I'm not sure where she is right now, but she also helps me when communicating with cats. There are some messages that StarClan don't get that we tell cats, but usually it's ones from other worlds."
"So…I must be special, huh?" C.C. softly groomed the she-cat.
"More than you think, Nightheart." The black cat looked up at the crystal and let out a breath.
"Father, I promise that we'll find out how to wake you up."
"Speaking of which, I think it's time for you to wake up as well." C.C. placed a finger on Nightheart's forehead and she could see her surroundings begin to slowly fade, until her vision went black.
Nightheart opened her eyes to see the moonlit sky hanging above her. She felt a coat touching hers and looked next to her to see her father to her right and Kirito on her left. She saw that the others were asleep, but also noticed that Alderpaw and Needlepaw were missing. Did something happen to them? How long was I even out? As she was thinking, she saw Kirito's body slowly move and she watched as his head lifted up and he locked on to her violet eyes. She could see his eyes begin to glisten.
"Nightheart…no…this has to be a dream…" The she-cat shook her head.
"It's not. It's really me, Kirito." He shook his head, still in disbelief, but when his vision became clear, he looked around first to see that everyone was there, and they were still in the place where they chose to rest.
"It…is you Nightheart…it's really you…" Kirito wiped a paw over his eyes. "I'm…so sorry for making you go through all that pain…if I knew that I'd watch you almost die…I wouldn't have made the stupid decision to fight."
"I told you…I wanted to protect you because I love you, Kirito. You mean so much to me." A sudden blush covered the she-cat's face. "Ah! I only told you that because I thought I was going to die, but now…oh I'm so embarrassed." Kirito shook his head.
"It's okay, but…I don't want you protecting me anymore, Nightheart…because I love you too. I can't bear seeing you like that again." He replied. She could see the seriousness in his expression offset by the blush on his face.
"You…love me, Kirito?"
"Why wouldn't I? We've gotten to know each other so much and we've spent so much time together…you've made my time here special. I'm just…glad I'm able to tell you that. I was…so worried that I wouldn't…" He let out a sigh before letting out a small laugh. "You must think I look pathetic now. Nobody's seen me like this before, not even Asuna." He looked up and saw that the she-cat was crying.
"Oh Kirito!" She leaped towards the tom and brought him to the ground, her body on top of his. Once their eyes met, the two shared a kiss for a few seconds, Kirito breaking away first, a blush covering both their faces. "I'm so sorry, Kirito! I didn't mean to lead you into that!" She quickly got off of the tom and noticed that Suguha was slowly getting up. "Sorry for making so much noise, Suguha."
"It's okay, Nightheart….wait…Nightheart!" Suguha jumped towards the she-cat, knocking her down. "I'm so glad that you're alright! Asuna told us that you were just unconscious, but we were still all so worried!"
"Suguha…can you…keep it down…please?" Molewhisker asked, still asleep.
"Sorry Molewhisker, but…Nightheart's awake!" Suguha got off of the she-cat and shook the others to wake them up.
"Don't tell me it's time to wake up…" Sparkpaw groaned, turning the other way to continue sleeping.
"Is she…really…" Asuna wiped a paw over her eyes to see Nightheart sitting next to Kirito. "You're okay…" Again, Asuna wiped a paw over her eyes, this time wiping away tears instead of sleep. "I just…can't thank you enough for saving Kirito."
"Nightheart, you're awake!" Cherryfall exclaimed in joy. "I'm…so happy to see that…"
"It really is you…" Molewhisker walked up to her and she greeted him with a smile, causing him to let out a sigh of relief. "Don't scare us like that ever again, please." Nightheart let out a giggle.
"I'll try not…" She was stopped when Sparkpaw pounced on her.
"You're alive! You really are alive, Nightheart! Thank StarClan you're okay! If only Alderpaw were here to see you."
"Where is he? Can I assume he and Needlepaw are together?" Sparkpaw got off of the she-cat and nodded her head.
"None of us know if they're even still alive. We were trying to cross the river…but the branch gave way…and they fell in…" Sparkpaw rubbed her eyes with a paw. "I don't know if I'll see my brother ever again."
"I'm so sorry, Sparkpaw…" Nightheart meowed, crestfallen.
"It's okay. He could possibly be alive. I mean, look at you, you're still here, so maybe StarClan's making sure they're both safe." She assured her.
"Nightheart…none of us will be able to sleep now knowing that you're awake now, so…do you mind telling us what happened?" Molewhisker asked. "Like, how you're still alive after saving Kirito?"
"Oh, and about your Geass too. Did it just appear out of nowhere?" Cherryfall asked.
"We shouldn't overwhelm her with questions. Are you hungry? Do you feel any sort of pain?" Asuna wondered.
"I'm okay, Asuna, really." Nightheart assured her. "I'm only here because my father sacrificed his life to save mine."
"So…is Lelouch…dead?" Suguha said, worry filling her voice, turning her gaze to the unconscious black tom nearby.
"He's okay, just…unconscious, but I don't know when he'll wake up. I saw that he was trapped in a crystal of some sort…but his friend, C.C. didn't know that it would happen at all."
"You talked to her?" Kirito stated, and she nodded.
"She explained everything to me. She also has no idea how I have Geass either. The only thing she told me is that she and Spottedleaf would tell us if anything came up."
"Wait…like the one who sent us the e-mails bringing us here!?" Suguha said in astonishment.
"It's that exact one. Asuna, have you talked with her before?" Kirito asked her, but she shook her head.
"I haven't. StarClan hasn't talked with me ever since I talked with Firestar, and that was around the first few days we got here."
"She doesn't live in StarClan. Her and C.C. apparently watch over cats from different worlds. I guess it's because I'm father's daughter that I was brought there too."
"So, you four can talk with StarClan…and two other cats as well?" Molewhisker stated.
"Well…I haven't actually spoken to either yet." Suguha said. "So that's it then: Our next quest is going to be waking Lelouch up now, but maybe now's not the time."
"Especially now that we're missing Alderpaw and Needlepaw. As much as I want to talk with Lelouch again, we know that he's safe thanks to Nightheart telling us...but finding those two are going to be our top priority." Cherryfall said.
"You're right, Cherryfall. The only thing is…how are we going to find those two?" Kirito asked.
"Our best bet is to look around the river for them." Molewhisker suggested.
"And…if we don't find them…" Sparkpaw meowed.
"Then…we go back to ThunderClan. At that point, we'd be risking our lives out here staying for too long."
"But…what if they're alive out there still?" Nightheart asked.
"Then we just hope that that's the case and return home. I know I'm starting to sound like the bad guy here, but it's the only thing we can do. At this point they could be anywhere."
"Molewhisker's right. It's the only way we can all stay safe. Plus, we have to get Lelouch back to the camp, He'll be more protected that way." Kirito added, the others realizing that he decided to take the safe route instead of planning to go and look for the two apprentices.
"Well…how about I go and look for them both?" Suguha offered, causing the others to look at her in shock.
"Suguha…you can't be serious, right?" Cherryfall asked. "We're not sure if you know your way back to ThunderClan if you don't find them."
"We can't just leave them out there alone. Plus, I don't offer anything to this group that you all don't cover already."
"You're not going out there! You're going back to ThunderClan with us!" Kirito spat. "I'm not…going to risk losing any of you. We lost Sandstorm, we almost lost Nightheart, Lelouch is gone for the time being and now Alderpaw and Needlepaw are missing. I can't bear seeing any more of what we've been through."
"Kirito…" Asuna looked at the tom with worry.
"But…my brother's out there. How is it fair that I might not be able to see him again?" Sparkpaw meowed, sorrow in her voice.
"Then I'll go alone to find them." Kirito responded.
"Do you hear yourself? Why can't I go by myself and look for them both? Do you think we won't be as worried if you went out? With the state you're still in, it isn't safe." Suguha responded.
"I don't mean to get between you both, but Suguha's right." Molewhisker stated. "If anything, StarClan will help her find her way back to us, maybe even lead her to the two." Asuna placed a paw on Kirito's shoulder, his gaze turning to hers.
"Suguha's strong. She'll be safe." She assured him. He then turned his gaze to his cousin's, her emerald green eyes glistening.
"No matter what I say, I can't stop you even if I wanted to, huh?" He said, a small smile forming on his face. "Molewhisker's right; StarClan will help you get back to us."
"So it's settled then?" Cherryfall asked, and the others nodded. "I'm still a bit unsure about it, but it's the only thing we can do to find those two."
"Right. We should all get back to sleep now. We need as much energy as we can in the morning, after all." Molewhisker suggested. The cats each got back into their makeshift nests and rested until the morning sun rose.
Suguha's eyes opened once morning came, the sunlight being blocked by the trees above. She looked around and saw that no other cat was awake. It must be because I'm thinking about finding Alderpaw and Needlepaw…or because I'm actually nervous. The light-ginger she-cat began pacing back and forth, the sound of her movement causing Molewhisker to wake up.
"Oh, Molewhisker. Sorry for waking you." She apologized as the brown and cream tom stretched.
"No, it's okay." He assured her as he padded over. "Are you scared?"
"Scared?" She scoffed at the accusation, but Molewhisker saw through, his gaze stuck on her. Causing the she-cat to slowly nod her head. "I'm worried about getting lost…but I'm mostly worried about not finding Needlepaw and Alderpaw."
"Suguha, you're a strong cat. I know that you won't get lost, and that you'll find those two. You could be searching for moons and I know you still wouldn't give up. If anything, I should be the one worried if something bad happens to you." A blush formed on Suguha's face, and once the tom noticed his choice of words, he began to blush as well. "I meant that we'd all be worried!" He slowly laughed, trying to play it off. He then felt Suguha's emerald gaze connect with his.
"Do you…like me, Molewhisker?"
"Like you? No, not at all! Wait, no I meant that I don't like you in the way I think you're saying!" The she-cat giggled, causing the tom to sigh. "Seriously though, I know you'll be fine out there, Suguha. You have nothing to worry about." He said with a smile.
"Thanks, Molewhisker." She took a deep breath and looked towards the river. "I think I'm ready to go now."
"Well, before you go, we should wake Asuna up so that she can give you some traveling herbs." Molewhisker walked over to Asuna's body and gave her a small shake.
"Wha- Oh, good morning, Molewhisker." She greeted him.
"Hey, Asuna. Suguha's ready to head out now, so I was wondering if you could give her some traveling herbs."
"Of course." Asuna got up and swiped her paw down to open up her inventory, quickly piling up traveling herbs in front of her. "Okay, this should be enough to keep your strength up for a while."
"Thank you." Suguha began to eat the herbs, trying her best not to yack as she got through their grotesque taste. Once she was done with them, she got up and faced towards the river. "I guess I should get going now."
"Without saying goodbye to the others?" Asuna stated.
"I don't want to bother them if they're sleeping."
"I'm sure they wouldn't mind. They care about you, Suguha." Molewhisker assured her as he shook his sister awake, Asuna helping to wake the others up as well.
"What's going on? Is something wrong?" Sparkpaw wondered as she looked around.
"Everything's fine. We just wanted to wake everyone up so you could say bye to Suguha for now." Asuna explained.
"Oh, right! Suguha, be safe out there, and make sure to find my brother, okay? Oh…and Needlepaw too."
"You'll see your brother again, I promise."
"The same can be said for you, I assume?" Nightheart asked with a smile.
"I'll make sure of it, especially with the scare you gave me. We'll spend more time together when we get back to camp, Nightheart." She responded as Kirito walked up to her. He placed a paw on her shoulder, their gazes touching.
"I know you'll be safe out there. After all, you're my cousin, right?" He moved the paw off of her shoulder and rubbed her head.
"Kazuto!" She swatted his paw away and gave her cousin a hug. "You be safe out there too. Who knows what crazy things you'll get into while I'm gone?"
"We'll keep him under control. You have nothing to worry about." Sparkpaw assured her.
"Well, I guess it's time we head our separate ways. Kirito, help me carry Lelouch, please?" Molewhisker asked. Once the two had the tom on their backs, each group looked back at each other one final time before heading their separate ways, hoping that they'd meet in ThunderClan once again.
I hope that you all enjoyed that chapter. I'd like to apologize for the drought of updates. It's mostly due to me finally starting college, but also due to me playing Overwatch on my PS4 during my free time. Updates are probably going to take a while to come out now, so I really want to thank those who are waiting for them to release. You're awesome for that. Anyway, hope to see you whenever the next chapter releases. ~Geasswolf Out.
