STARFIRE

Chapter 14

So suddenly, so unexpectedly, Shira was taken to another part of her mind. However, something about it didn't seem right. It wasn't a dream. She could control herself. She could even speak.

"Gisach?"

The figure standing next to StarFire became clearer to her. Shira also noticed that she was in the Epsilon forest. The very same place where the polar bear attack occurred.

Already, Shira could tell that this was another trick. She turned around and tried to get away from all of this, but that just proved that she forgot about what happened last time.
The moment that Shira turned around, Gisach and StarFire were right in front of her. They were eyeing her intimidatingly.

"I'm not afraid of you." Shira said, trying her best not to back up. The two figures didn't say anything. They both turned to each other, casting glances, and quickly looked back at her.

"Is this a dream?" Gisach said, staring off into space.

"No, but I know one thing. You're nothing but a faker."

"Is this whole thing a game?" StarFire asked, looking at her.

"You're a game. You're nothing to me. You don't exist." Shira said, walking past them. The only problem was, how would she get out of this? How will she find Diego again?

"Do you want to stop the Epsilon curse, or not?" StarFire demanded.

That got her attention. Shira turned her head back around.

"I don't care anymore. Just leave me alone!" She screamed at them.

"You think this a dream? You think I'm a fake?!" StarFire yelled, grabbing Shira by the throat and pinning her to the ground.

"Don't let my impersonation trick you, Shira! You know me! You know who I am. And I'm positive you know who... She is." He said.

Shira was about to react, when she was instantly back up and off the ground.

'What?! How did I... I was just...' She said, completely confused.

'Join us.'The now appearing StarFire said.

'Let us live together. Together.' Gisach added.

'Live as one.'

Shira turned to see who said that last part. It was Diego.

'No.' Shira said to herself, "NO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!"

"Shira." StarFire's voice called out.

"This is BlackFire's doing. These are all lies. Trust your instincts." He said.

Shira stood there for a minute, not really caring about what to think anymore.

"It's so impossible. It's not true." She said, looking up at the three impersonators, rage building up inside of her.

Instantly, she jumped at Diego, but the second she did that, Diego collapsed to the floor as if he were dead.

Shira was confused. She was more than confused.

"Useless Puppets. I should have known this wouldn't work." An incredibly deep voice echoed.

Already, Shira could only imagine who it was.

"BlackFire." She said very quietly.

"This is your last warning. Do not proceed into the Epsilon forest. By trying to stop the curse, you will either find your sanctuary, or your grave. Heed my warning."

Shira felt a bright light in front of her eyes. She closed her eyes to rid herself of the brightness. Once she opened them again, she faintly heard a voice.

"Shira! Wake up! Don't do this to me! Why are you doing this?!" It said louder and louder.

Shira's vision finally came back to her. Blinking a few times, looking around to see her surroundings, and resting her eyes on another pair. The all too familiar emerald orbs shot down looking at her. Tears were flowing at drastic speed.

"Shira! Are you okay?! What happened?!" Diego asked, pleading his soul that she was okay.
Shira didn't say anything. Instead, she lifted her head off the ground and did what Diego said he'd never get tired of. With her lips against his, Diego got the answer he was praying for.

Diego released his lock and nuzzled all around her face.

"Diego!" Shira said happily, laughing at what he was doing.

Diego stops and looks into her eyes.

"Sorry. I was just so worried. The second you were unconscious, I just... I mean, I immediately thought that you might have... lost your..."' He says, leaning down and resting his face by hers, "your memory."

"Why on earth would you..." Shira began, just before she recalled what StarFire said that day after she went into the Epsilon forest where StarFire and Diego rescued her from BlackFire. StarFire mentioned how it was possible for her to have lost her memory.

'So was that it?' Shira thought to herself, 'He's trying to take my memory away from me? I'm not sure. But still, why was he trying to make me believe that those impersonations were real? Well, at least I figured out one thing. They were fakes. But even so, has StarFire really been corrupted? When I saw his impersonator, he seemed to have two sides to himself. One of them was StarFire. The real StarFire. The other side was his fake. It must have been BlackFire. I'm not sure, but I think he was trying to control him, yet StarFire resisted his attempt to do so.'

"Shira?" Diego's voice said, killing away the silence again. Shira looked up at him.

'Should I even bring the topic up? If I'm ever gonna rid myself from this mental torture that keeps enveloping me, then the only way to do it, the best chance I've got, would be to burn down that forest. I've got no regrets in doing so. It's what StarFire wanted. It's what Krystal would've wanted. It's the only solution.'

"Shira, is something wrong?" Diego asked, leaning closer into her.

Shira looked back at him once more with tears in her eyes, "It happened again, Diego. With BlackFire."

That previous night, when Shira first encountered the fake StarFire, after Diego had found her, she recapped all that happened right after she ran away from him, up to the point when Diego found her again. So, Diego knew what she was talking about.

"Shira, I'm sorry that this is happening to you. I promise I'll find a way to fix this. I just hate seeing you suffer like this. It tears me apart on the inside."

"Um, ya..." Shira began remembering what she was previously thinking about. "About that, I..."

"What is it?"

"It's just that I've already made my decision."

"About what?" Diego asks, not understanding.

"We have to burn the forest down."

A look of shock appeared over Diego's face. Even though he remembered Shira given StarFire the say so to do it, he never expected Shira to burn down her own home. But still...Could it be done? The whole forest? Who said that fire would kill off the disease that was rapidly spreading across the island?

"No! Shira, you can't!"

"What?! Why not?!" Shira demanded. More than half of her expected Diego to agree with her decision, but he didn't. Why?

"I don't want to lose you again!" Diego yelled out. After saying that, he eased down and rested his head on Shira's neck.

"Not for real this time."

"Diego, I have to. We have to."

"No, I won't let you."

Shira really didn't want to argue with him. She tried finding any persuasion that could help, when something finally came to her.

"We're outlanders. We've got each others backs. Do those words have any meaning anymore?"

Diego looks up at her. He stares into her eyes and suddenly gives her a lick on the face, causing her to laugh.

'He's such a Softie.' Shira thinks to herself, a smirk coming across her face as she realizes how many times she's said that.

"Of course they have meaning to them."

Shira was about to respond, when Diego again, pressed his lips against hers.

For some reason, to Shira, no matter how many times Diego has done this, each time gets better and better. However this time, it stood out far beyond any other time. She felt as though he was doing it to show protection. How he'd be willing to take a spear to the stomach rather than watch her die right in front of him.

Once Diego let go, he looked her in the eyes, "And that's why I'll help you." He said with the most beautiful smile Shira has ever seen him make before.

"You will?" She asked as a smile came across her face.

"Of course. You helped me find a purpose in life, and I'm willing to help you find a purpose."

"Diego, you're my purpose. You're the only reason why I see any point to continue living everyday, and I'm sorry if I haven't expressed this enough already, but waking up everyday and knowing that you're with me makes my life that more meaningful and amazing."

Diego starts rubbing his nose with hers, "Shira, you can say anything to me as many times as you'd like. Hearing you say, "I love you" a thousand times would be music to my ears."

"I don't know, I think I'd say it a lot more than a thousand times."

"I don't doubt that." Diego says, purring to the sound of Shira's heart beat getting faster and faster.

"Ya, I love you that much." She said, pulling Diego down and getting on top of him. She then laid her body on Diego's, causing her to relax every muscle in her body.

"So, you'll do it, then?" Shira asks, looking down at him.

"Shira. I'm just so afraid. I don't want to lose you. I'll do everything to prevent that from happening. If StarFire were still here, then maybe. I could trust him to pull the job off."

"Diego, um... Maybe I should have told you this earlier..."

Diego's ears pierced up, ready to listen to what she was about to say.

"I... I think StarFire... He's..."

"He's what?"

"I don't think he's entirely dead yet." She said, looking up and expecting a confused look on his face, but instead got more of a surprised look on his face.

"What, you mean he's still... Alive?"

"Well, kind of." Shira started, as she got off Diego and cuddled into chest, trying to find a more relaxing position.

"He's trapped. BlackFire's got him. That thing. It's corrupting StarFire's mind!"

"Where is he? We've got to help him!" Diego said, starting to get up. However, Shira was pretty comfortable at the moment, and pulled Diego back down.

"No, you don't understand. We can't get to him. He's where ever BlackFire is. And..." Shira stopped.

"What?" Diego asked, starting to stroke Shira's shoulder up and down.

"The Epsilon Forest! He's being held there! BlackFire never corrupted him, he's just trying to make me believe he did!"

"Shira, I don't really understand."

Shira started to lie back down, "Neither do I."

Diego shook his head, "Should we head there? Maybe we'll get some ideas as we travel there."

Shira didn't say anything back as if she didn't have an answer.

"And how do you know he'll be in there?"

"I just know. When ever I got a vision of BlackFire, it was in the Epsilon forest. He has to be there. He has to be."

"Well then, we'd better get going." Diego says, getting up and starts heading in the direction of the cursed forest.

"Wait, Diego!" Shira said, running up to him.

"What?"

"Are you still keeping your promise"

"I'm keeping quite a lot of them. Which one?"

"Can you promise me you won't do anything too out of your league?"

"...You know, you should have told StarFire that. You know, that one night before that polar bear attacked."

"Well, I didn't. And look what happened because it. After what happened to him, I just..."
She stopped, leaning into Diego for comfort.

"Shira, nothing's gonna happen to me." Diego says, looking into Shira's eyes.

"I don't want to watch you-"

"I promise."

Shira nods her head. Both sabers start heading to the epsilon forest with worry enveloping both of them.

'What's gonna happen to us? All the step we take. All the moves we make. What will these cause? BlackFire, you've driven me crazy. You gave me the meaning of fear. All of your twisted tricks have made me sick to the stomach. Now it's your turn. It's your turn to fear me.'