Finally I am down to the last chapter of this story…It has been a long and arduous journey for me…And I probably frustrated you with all the late updates…. Anyways, Thanks for sticking by me all this while…And thank you for the review…They are much appreciated.Hope you will like the last chapter…
SO with that, I shall start with the narration.Btw, I don't own Bakugan, but you knew that right?
Path To Rest In Peace
crystal-mist
Chapter 10
The red eyes of the raven glinted ominously as a strong wind emerged out of nowhere. An array of black feathers materialized in the air. A man with glimmering silver hair was now standing in the place of the raven. He wore lustrous black feathery clothing, had red eyes and held a silver staff in his hand.
Alice immediately pried herself away from Shun's grip as she gazed at the silver-haired man in wonder.
"What is going through that head of yours?" asked the man, his crimson eyes emotionless.
"I…" Alice could feel this sort of unreasonable uncertainty take over her. "I…" her hair hid the expression on her face. "I cannot kill him…" she spoke in a voice barely above a whisper.
"DO you not remember our contract?" he spoke in his smooth voice.
Alice stood there in silence. "I do… However…"
"Are you making excuses?" he asked striking the tip of the staff on the ground with a loud thud. "I said that I would allow you to wander on this earth to get revenge… And now you DO NOT want to kill him?"
She nodded timidly. She knew that the guardian would be enraged. But strangely enough, she felt more than ready to face the consequences. "I plan to keep my word…I will go to hell. However I will not kill this man… I can't."" answered Alice.
"So you will let yourself be taken to hell without protest?
She gulped. "Yes…My life itself was hell…So I really doubt that I'll have to go through more torture on the other side of that portal."
Shun gathered his resolve and every single spec of his courage and then took Alice's arm. He pulled her roughly over to his side.
"Shun…what are you-" she exclaimed but was cut short.
"I won't let you go just like that." Muttered Shun as he stared deep into the eyes of the one he loved.
The raven looked amused. "How benevolent of you!" He held the silver staff positioned at Shun's chest and then hit him hard with it. Shun was sent flying to the side where he lie in a lump.
He got back up on his knees and charged mindlessly at the raven and was only sent back to the ground again.
The raven extended his hand towards Alice. "Time to go."
She took one last look at Shun who was now lying on the ground.
"Don't…hurt her… Please." He whispered desperately.
A sort of smirk appeared on the raven-man's lips. He looked piercingly into Alice's eyes. The sadness that he saw in them made him speak out his conclusion. "You know…I suspected you right from the start." He muttered.
"What do you mean?" questioned Alice.
"I had suspected that you never wanted revenge in the first place." explained the raven-man.
"But I…"
"Admit it Alice…You never wished to kill Shun….You never wished revenge. All you wished for was to know if he killed you intentionally. You wanted to know why he betrayed you. Admit it; your quest for revenge was just an excuse you used to justify your craving to see him again."
Tears ran down her cheeks. "I…" her shoulders were trembling. "I…" the raven's words took her by storm. How was it that he was able to perceive her feelings so clearly and precisely? So, she confessed her confused state of mind as tears rolled down her cheeks… "I was afraid; I was terrified to admit to myself that in spite of everything, in spite of every single spec of betrayal I went through, I did not stop loving him…"
Shun's eyes widened as he heard that. "Alice….you can't…you really can't mean that." He muttered still in a daze.
"And why not? I had to admit it someday….This is the truth." She spoke amidst her trembling voice.
"Alice…..I…."
"No please." She pleaded. "Please, just allow me to leave you with no regrets."
"No regrets?"
She nodded. "That's right Shun….I have no regrets what-so-ever right now."
"But…."
"I hate to interrupt your adorable conversation….but I can't stay here like this all eternity and let you continue on your little drabble fest." said the man in a sort of bored voice.
Alice turned to the raven-man. "Tell me…You knew that my real intention was solace for my heart. Is that why you made me show Shun time all our previous memories? Is that why you made me relive the past and reveal what happened with Shun?"
The raven-man nodded knowingly; and then a heavy sigh escaped his lips. "Never in my 10,000 years as hell's guardian did I think that I would do something like this." He whispered in a half-ashamed voice. "It's quite pathetic that I must pity one of my preys…"
"But…I am grateful…."
"Okay enough of this human thankfulness and gratitude and love…." He said pulling a sour face. "Moving on." He pointed at Alice with his index finger. "As a part of Section89 paragraph 8…I am entitled to pardon ONE victim of hell every 5000 years…And so, you shall be the first one and the last to whom I shall grant freedom...I pardon you from your term in hell."
Alice stared at him incredulously… "You don't mean…."
"You don't have to kill Shun Kazami if you don't want to…." Explained the raven… "Now Alice….You may say your goodbyes." He instructed, leaning onto a nearby tree.
Alice smiled gratefully at the guardian of hell.
She then turned his attention to Shun who had opened his mouth to say something…but she shook her head from side to side to stop him. "Please, do not say anything." She begged him as she used her fringe to hide her tears.
He was right in front of her now. "Fine." He said as he pulled her in for a hug.
Alice's chocolate eyes widened as she surrendered to Shun's embrace. The tears started free falling down her cheeks.
"How mushy-mushy can you get?" sighed the raven; his make-shift disgust masked his contentment. "These human emotions are so pathetic…You are all so weak-willed."
Alice then slowly parted from Shun. "Goodbye." She whispered as she gazed into his golden orbs.
He said nothing, nor did he nod. He just stared at her as her ghostly figure started fading away. She had a smile on her tear-strewn face. "I'm grateful for your love…Now Shun, you may move on." She muttered as she disappeared completely.
The portal drew to a close. The grassy scenery that surrounded him slowly faded. It swirled around and soon Shun was engulfed in this sickening feeling.
When he finally regained consciousness he found himself lying on his work table.
That picture of the singer impaled by the knife lay beside him.
And the words "GO TO HELL" was still imprinted on his wall. The blood had turned a sort of nauseating blackish red.
He stood up form his chair and wiped the sweat off his brow. He wondered if all this was a dream. But then again, those vivid memories and love that still flooded his heart proved otherwise.
A heavy sigh escaped his dry throat. Alice was gone now… At least she was safe; at least she was not in hell. But he couldn't help but wish that he were by her side.
He tidied up the table and then finished compiling his latest article. It took him a while to get accustomed to having the memories of two souls in his head.
Two weeks later.
Shun was spending his afternoon crouched over a huge stack of papers. He walked over to the copy machine that was kept across the room.
He was busy tending to a paper jam when the chief editor of the magazine came into the room.
"Busy as usual are we?" he questioned.
"Uh-huh." Shun answered not looking up, he was too engrossed in his work.
"Anyway…I only came here to introduce you to your new assistant." He said.
"Oh." murmured Shun still not looking at the man before him. "Yeah, I heard that Miles quit his job…"
"You know, it wouldn't hurt to actually welcome your new subordinate." stated the man matter-of-factly.
"Oh!" exclaimed Shun. The concept of politeness had just dawned upon him. "I am sorry." He said raising his head. "You see…" his sentence was left incomplete as his eyes fell on his new orange-haired assistant. "Alice?" he half questioned.
The head sponsor looked at the two disbelievingly "You two know one another?"
Shun waited eagerly for an answer. This girl was a ditto copy of Alice…but then, was she her? Was this the Alice he loved, or just some other reincarnated soul that bore no resemblance to her personality what-so-ever?
"Well." She answered. "Yes, I do happen to know from a LONG time ago." She said smiling.
Shun smiled softly noticing the stress she applied on the word 'long'.
The guardian of hell watched all this from the top of a tree. A sort of smile hinted his lips. He had pardoned Alice and even given her a second chance at life. SO now, there was no turning back. His red eyes glinted as he reprimanded himself for the umpteenth time. "You are getting soft in your old age." He muttered to himself with a brief chuckle. But then he looked at the sky. "But then again, if you think about it, that girl was just a beautiful flower that was trampled by the heavy burden of fate. She was made the object of a vicious cycle of unreasonable hatred in that village. If a heavy ripple was created in a puddle you would blame the stone that caused it and not the puddle itself…right?" and with that justification he chose to forget about these course of events.
Shun could've asked Alice just why she was there with him. He could've asked her the explanation. Had she been give a second chance at life? Had she been reincarnated?
All he knew was that Alice was now by his side. She had also accepted his invitation to stay over at his humongous new house. She was the same Alice of 200 years ago…. The one that Shun so dearly loved…
He chuckled in contentment as he opened the door to the house he had once dubbed 'haunted'.
"Why are you laughing?" questioned Alice softly taking hold of his arm.
He smiled at her brightly. "I am just glad…." He whispered, taking hold of her cheek. He then pulled her into a kiss. The first kiss in over 200 years of endless regret…
All resentment put aside, all bitterness shed and all acrimony forgotten.
Finally, after all that untold suffering, the both of them could lead the happy and blissful life that they so deserved.
Path To Rest In Peace Fin.~~~~
That's the ending people...
Tell me what you think okay? Writing this story was great and I really hope that you are all content with the ending… You've been asking me for a happy ending. And yeah, this is a happy ending…
Congratulations to my reviewers who guessed almost the entire plotline of the last chapter correctly… Great going guys…You are so perceptive….
Anyways Adios Amigos. Take care and check out my other stories if you're free and all.
Seriously now, leave me a REVIEW, won't you? It is the last chapter after all!
Arisu signing out.