Author: Sorry that it took me forever to get the next chapter up. Our computer has been going so slow and I haven't found time to type all of the stuff out lately. But I finally got this chapter and a bit of fifteen on Microsoft Word. Yay.

Chapter Fourteen

I was terrified and alone. The flames billowed up around me, making me choke on the thick gray smoke. Voices screamed in the distance filling my frazzled mind, making me cry out in confusion. I could see someone walking towards me, like a mirage in the desert. The steam coming from the leaping flames around me obscured my vision of the form in front of me. My body trembled and my mouth had suddenly gone dry, but then I heard a voice.

"Satsuki? Where are you?"

I meant to call out, but my throat had tightened up at the sound of Hajime's voice. I stretched my hand out to the figure on the other side of the fire and tried to hold back the tears that pricked at the back of my eyelids.

Hajime!

My mouth moved, but my vocal cords produced no sound. Hajime was just standing there, his body was hazy from the heat's steam, yet I could see every small detail on his body. His brown hair was slightly disheveled and his large eyes were moist with unshed tears. His white tee shirt was stained with mud and his blue jeans had a large rip right at the knee. His cheeks had thin tearstains running down to the tip of his chin, but the only thing that confused me was that he did not appear to be surrounded by the eternal flames.

I took a step forward flinching when the flame's heat burnt my pale flesh leaving a small perfectly round mark. I had finally given up on trying to hold back my sorrow when I realized either Hajime wasn't really there or he couldn't even see me at all. Teas were streaming down my face as I stood there choking on the sobs that came out of my throat.

"Hajime." My voice was so soft that it wouldn't even have been considered a whisper. "Hajime."

But my words didn't reach his ears and he turned away. I could hear a strangled sob slip out of his mouth then he said in a sorrow-laden voice. "I'm sorry, Satsuki. I wish you were here to hear me, but under the circumstances…" he paused for a second then continued. "I'm sorry for what I did to you. I really am. I never meant to break you the way I did. I was only trying to protect you, but…" He took a deep breath. "…I realize now that that was a stupid way to take care of the one that I love. And yes, Satsuki, I love you. I love you with all my heart."

He stopped then and began to walk away. I took a step closer to him ignoring the flames that began to eat away at my skin. The pain seemed to give me just enough strength to call out.

"Hajime!"

He froze and looked back over to where I stood, but his gaze only seemed to go right through my body. Like I wasn't there. His eyes were clouded with confusion and I knew that he only though that he was hearing things, but he didn't turn away again. Instead, he came closer to me, his mouth parted ever so slightly.

I stretched my hand out to him right into the burning fire. The flames coiled around my arm beginning at my wrist and climbing up to my elbow, but I ignored the biting pain.

"Hajime, don't leave me." My pleading voice was overtaken by a series of broken, shaking sobs. "Please stay."

Hajime glanced around as if looking for the source of the voice. "Satsuki." he whispered. "Where are you?"

"Here." The tears streamed down my cheeks in small rivulets. "Right in front of you."

He sucked in his breath and stared right at me, although his eyes went right through me to the flames beyond. "That's impossible." he said.

I stepped closer my eyes burning with the intense heat. "Don't look with your eyes, Hajime for this place isn't physical. Use your heart. Your soul. Look beyond what you see to what you shouldn't be able to."

I saw him close his eyes blocking off the overflow of tars and when he opened them again they seemed to burn with a terrible fire. His body had changed slightly. Instead of looking calm and upset, he now looked horrified yet thankful when his gaze rested on me. He ran closer to me, but stopped when the flames rose up around him.

"Satsuki!" he cried. "Are you alright?"

A small smile played along my lips. "I am now." I stepped farther into the burning heat, ignoring Hajime's cries of protest. "Hajime, I understand this place. I was brought here to be hurt and broken, but it's only lifted my spirits." The flames began to burn my hair.

"Satsuki!" Hajime yelled. "You don't know what you're talking about!"

My smile turned into a quizzical grin. "It's all about love, Hajime. The flames have no effect on me anymore because the fire of my love for you has overwhelmed my pain." My clothes caught on fire.

"Satsuki! Go back! You're killing yourself!"

"Hajime…" My voice faltered for a second and it was then that I realized the truth. I was dying. The flames were eating away at my flesh. My eyes widened with unspeakable horror. "Hajime…I love you." My body collapsed, the flames covering me entirely.

Keiichirou stared down at his sister's still body , and the body of Hajime beside her. He closed his eyes and turned his head away as if to hide the tears that slid down his pale cheeks. His eyelids flickered open and his head snapped back to the two forms when Satsuki let out a small whoosh of air.

The young boy knelt down by her side. "Satsuki, can you hear me?"

Rene placed his hand on Keii's shoulder. "No, she can't for she has taken her last breath."

Keii looked up at him this time not caring who saw the tears. "You mean she's…"

"Yes. She's dead."

Her body was still and covered with the scars caused by the flames. Hajime placed a soft kiss on her pale lips. "How could you, Satsuki? How could you be so stupid?"

He pushed a lock of her reddish brown hair behind her ear and placed his trembling hand gently on her cold cheek. Salty tears flowed won his cheeks, spilling onto her face with a soft patting noise. The boy wiped the liquid away with the back of his hand then pulled Satsuki into his arms. He climbed to his feet and walked away from the fiery place.

Hajime's eyes opened along with a bombardment of tears. Zoë was instantly by his side and she wrapped him in her arms, letting him weep into her shoulder.

"Shh." She cooed. "It's not over yet."

He pulled away shaking his head wearily. "No, Zoë. Satsuki is dead." He gazed down at her body. "And she's not coming back."

The ghost girl turned away. "I'm sorry." She walked away out of sight, Rene following close behind her. Keiichirou walked up to Hajime then in a quiet voice said, "What happened?"

The older boy glanced at him. "There were so many flames, and she…" he shook his head as if trying to clear it of the awful memory.

"But her body has not scars."

"That's because her body wasn't there. It was her spirit."

"But why did she have to die?" Keii's eyes gazed up at Hajime. "Why didn't she at least say good-bye to me?"

Hajime pulled the little boy into his embrace. "Keii, I'm sure she wanted to say good-bye to you, but she couldn't, and it's all my fault. She tried to tell me that you were in trouble, but I sent her away."

Keiichirou buried his face in Hajime's shirt. "What am I supposed to tell Dad? He already lost Mom and now Satsuki."

Hajime tipped Keii's face up until he was gazing steadily into his eyes. "He only has you left now, so you must be strong. Okay?"

The boy nodded. "Okay."

"Zoë, stop!" Rene cried grabbing the girl's arm and forcing her to turn around. "What the heck is wrong with you ?"

She pulled away. "Why do you care?"

"Zoë—."

"Stop! I don't understand you , Rene! First I'm the only one who you could ever possibly love, then when you turn psycho demon you fall for the ghost hunter girl who by the way already had a boyfriend. And in doing so he broke up with her, resulting in her tragic death."

Rene stared dumbly at her for a second then said, "I'm not perfect, Zo. And in case you haven't noticed I'm a guy and it's in my nature to be drawn to —."

"That's not true! You just choose that!"

He smirked at her. "But it's my sin nature."

She turned away from him, her breathing short and shallow. After what seemed like hours, but was in reality only mere seconds, Zoë said, "I can't help, but feel that I could have done something to save Satsuki." Her voice was filled with regret and grief.

Rene placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't dwell on it. It's over and the only thing that you can do now is worry about her brother and boyfriend. They need you now, Zo."

The ghost girl turned to look into Rene's black eyes. "You're right."

The ghost stared intently at the two people outside, her body glitching in the rays of the setting sun. The immortal and his little pet. She couldn't help but wish that she was human and capable of love, but as a being of the living dead she was destined to haunt the old school house and have emotions similar to that of a rock.

She placed her hands against the window's glass and pushed it up letting in a draft of cold air. The ghost wrapped her arms around herself against the breeze although she felt nothing. No warmth or cold. She couldn't even feel emotion. Only the hollow, empty space inside her where her heart had been when she was a mortal.

"They're so clueless." The ghost whispered, her whole body disappearing for a second. "Even the immortal. He may have beaten me once, but I won't let him win again. I, Shayla, will once again be able to feel the love that I was once overwhelmed with."

At that she leaned out the window as if to get a better view of the lovers below then floated outside landing softly on the ground.

To be continued…

Author: Well the story is finally almost over. I'm just trying to wrap it all up. I know I was going to do a bit more than this, but all the stuff I actually had written didn't fit in with the story line, so I had to get rid of all of it. Sorry.