Kingdom Come
A Trinity Blood FanFic
By Michiyo Ichimaru

Disclaimer: Idon't own these characters, no matter how much I love them. This story is just for fun, so I hope you will enjoy it and comment at the end. Thanks.

Author's Note: This story is based on the manga, not the anime so much. It takes place before Esther finds out what Krusnik really is and before the adventure with Ion. Basically, it's before Chapter 13 if I remember correctly. I had the idea when reading the manga for the first time. I loved it so much that I had to write something. It is my first fic though, so don't hate me too much. Eventually my story will pick up with the original plot with a few twists and side-notes, hopefully. After reading chapter fifteen and sixteen, this chapter came out, knowing that I couldn't handle writing it the way that it was in the manga… those chapters made me cry…

Chapter Ten: Shattered Mirrors Part III

She wondered how long she had been lying there. Unlike she hoped, her energy refused to come back. Remembering the feelings she had, she frowned and wondered if maybe she was knocked out and having a bad nightmare. But she really doubted it. The feelings were so raw and powerful, and she believed it. Pushing herself up off the wall, she came face to face with herself, when she was ten years old. Blinking back in surprise, she looked at the younger self and realized that she was crying.

"Gone… gone… gone… all gone. Esther is alone. I am all alone." The young girl chanted as the tears rolled down her face. High pitched sobs racked her body and she was shaking all over. Esther kneeled next to her and wondered if that was really her. Maybe this was a nightmare all along… Taking the girl's hand, she did the only thing that she could think to do in such a situation. She tried to calm the child.

The girl pulled away, but Esther was stronger than the ten-year-old. "You're not alone!" She said. "I bet there are a lot of people who are really worried about you right now! Some people leave you, but they don't leave you alone. There are always new people that will come along and comfort you. And you'll move on, but as long as you never forget the people who have passed on after all the years of guidance… if you remember the things that made you laugh, smile, and sing… they will be with you too."

When Esther let go, the girl smiled and wiped away her tears. "You are not alone… there are people who care about you… who are worried about you. No one is alone… just remember…" Esther nodded, but when she brought her head back up, the little girl was gone. Looking around, Esther couldn't see her anywhere. 'I really am going crazy…' she said, squinting into the distance, when she saw a light. It was small, but she started running towards it, and it got larger and larger.

Esther started to wonder if this was part of the castle… some sort of test from its master. There was another Esther there… older. She was holding on to a gun. Her body shook silently and her eyes were wide and fearful. Esther was afraid of going to console her, scared that the girl might use the gun on her. Then she recognized that gun… it was the same gun that had belonged to her, before she had joined Father Nightroad. Those were very frightening days…

"I'm scared, Dietrich… I'm scared." The girl whispered. Her voice was cracking, and the hand that held the gun was shaking most of all. Esther slowly came up to her and put a hand on her shoulder. As she expected, the girl jumped up, frightened. "Dietrich!" She shouted, aiming the gun at Esther. Her arm was still shaking too much, but Esther knew that she had to do something. 'She thinks that I'm the man who supposedly killed…' her eyes widened quickly.

"No! Please, it's okay! I know you're hurting, but he's a bad man. He only wants to hurt you… so you have to let him go." Esther said. The girl dropped the gun, but continued looking at Esther with fear in her eyes. "It's okay to be afraid sometimes. There are a lot of scary things in the world. But you can also let your friends help you. If you let them help you, you don't have to carry all the weight on your own. It's okay to be afraid, just don't let it get the best of you… you can be strong and still be afraid…"

The girl dropped to her knees. "You can be strong… even if you're afraid. It's okay to ask for help…" And right before her eyes, the second girl disappeared, just as the first had. 'Okay… this is getting really weird.' Before she even had time to look around, someone tapped her on the shoulder. There was a bit of laughter, and this girl was about the same age as the last, but very… different. She stuck out her tongue at Esther and started running. Confused, Esther did what came to mind, and ran after her.

When she finally caught up, the girl was giggling and skipping about in a circle. Esther frowned. By this time, she was getting irritated. "Be serious! You have to grow up!" The girl stopped very suddenly and stood very stiffly. Turning to face Esther slowly, she looked downright depressed. Esther was so shocked by how seriously the girl too her. And she realized that she was being unfair, and much too harsh. Heck, she enjoyed acting goofy of occasion. Didn't that maker her a hypocrite?

"What I meant to say was… you need to be serious sometimes. There are a lot of dangerous things out there, and you can't just go around acting like life's a picnic! You could get hurt. But it's okay to relax sometimes and just have fun. Life isn't all about work and suffering. You can be both if you just stop and realize when it's a good time to be silly and when it's a good time to get serious." Esther said, smiling.

The girl returned her smile and started skipping around Esther. "Realize when it's a good time to be silly and when it's a good time to get serious. Got it!" She never finished the circle. By the time Esther got around to looking at her, she had already vanished. Esther had some things to realize about herself, too. 'These really are fragments of me… of what I was like at different times of my life. Times when I easily let one emotion or another take over my whole being, when I should have showed some restraint…'

In the clearing, there were two girls that looked just like her. One was frowning deeply, and the other was still too far away. "Why are you so mad?" Esther asked the first girl. Her fists were clenched as well as her teeth. She looked absolutely furious.

"Do I really NEED a reason?" She snapped back, looking away. Esther frowned, and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look into her eyes.

"There has to be something. You look like someone just stole something precious from you… or broke something you cared deeply about. It isn't nice when people do these things. But people make mistakes. And it's not good to dwell on such things. While you're sulking, you miss all the wonderful things in life, and you lose a lot of friends just because you can't forgive them. It's okay to be mad, but you should also try to understand and forgive."

"Understand and… forgive." The girl said, barely above a whisper. "It's okay to get mad… but it's not good to dwell. You should understand and forgive. I think I understand." The girl said, hugging Esther. And she had disappeared before they pulled apart.

Stepping forward, she saw the other girl. This girl didn't seem too extreme at all. She was smiling, but her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. "I never meant for things to turn out this way. I was weak, and all the other emotions were so strong. I could have just been happy… pure and simple, but I let things like fear, and sadness, anger, and giddiness overwhelm me. If I had just been happy…"

"What you need is a nice balance. You can get sad, scared, angry, happy, or silly. But don't ever let one of them become you. Each person is different, and each person has their own balance of these. People that are overcome by their emotions can't survive. So be happy… laugh… cry… be afraid… but when that's over… move on… be something else. And most importantly, be yourself."

The last girl smiled, holding out her hand to Esther. "That's right. Be yourself… do what you think is right… it's okay to ask for things… you can laugh, cry, be afraid, and get angry… but when it's all over… just don't let it change who you are." Esther felt much better, energized and fulfilled. Taking the girl's hand, she felt herself waking up…

"Esther!" Abel shouted, helping her up onto her feet. "Are you alright? What happened?" Esther wondered what she could possibly say to make him understand. But there wasn't anything she could do. This was something for her… Turning to the girl who knocked over the mirror, Esther handed her the key.

"It's up to you now… you have the key. So, you can stay here or leave if you want." Abel opened his mouth to protest, but Esther had already started dragging him out, down the tunnel, towards the only other door. "Let them go… please. I don't want to make decisions for other people. It's hard enough making my own decisions. And if they are really happy as Marci said, then I don't want to take their happiness away. If they don't have that, then what will happen to the balance of emotions that they've created? They could become angry, scared, depressed, or even go insane and start taking everything as a joke!"

Abel laughed and ruffled her hair. "You've changed." Esther smiled. She hadn't realized it, but she felt much better now. "…do what you think is right… it's okay to ask for things." Esther smiled slightly.

"Come here…" she said, beckoning him to lean down to her height. He did so without question, and she took the opportunity. Esther wrapped her arms around him and placed her lips gently against his. Her cheeks were more than a bit pink, but it was comfortable too, even after it was over. Smiling rather pleasantly, Father Nightroad took her hand into his as they continued walking. Who knew what tomorrow was going to be like, or if everything would work out. Esther wasn't afraid to admit that she was a little bit scared, because it was okay to be scared sometimes.

But she was also happy.

Woot! End of the Shattered Mirror Arc. Funny thing is, I don't know yet what I want to do with the next arc, and if I don't get any ideas, you don't get anymore story. I could end it here… P but that would be mean, wouldn't it? So, if you have any ideas for a continuation, please share them! Reviews are still highly appreciated. I love them. So give them… please… Thanks to evilangel990 for the numerous reviews! Yes, I know I'm good at suspense… I thought I'd need it to keep people reading. That's why I try to update often. Until then…

Michiyo Ichimaru