Forlorn Words

A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I know I've been slow. School work has been slowing me down as well as just trying to figure out all the pieces together. I hate loopholes in stories, so better to make sure there isn't any than to fix it later.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of the Abyss.

Chapter Fourteen: Game Over

Crying…

Why do I hear crying?

I glanced over slightly, seeing a little girl, about five or so, crying. Her long brown hair covered her face, but it was apparent that bandages were present. However, that was not the reason for her tears.

I tilted my head slightly while frowning as something strangely familiar about her was irking me. I slowly walked towards her, reaching out to touch her shoulders but suddenly stopped.

My eyes widened slightly, horrified by the sight that had appeared before me. A white bed; a white hospital bed materialized before the girl. She continued to cry as sounds of beeping was heard. I sharply pulled back, and I turned away from the girl, adjusting my vision towards the figure that lay on the pure white sheets. She was asleep, with an oxygen mask over her ashen face.

My knees felt weak as one foot moved in front of the other. I tried to call out, but my throat felt hoarse. I swallowed a lump in my throat, but it still felt heavy and suffocating.

"…" I closed my eyes and forced myself to call out. "Mom—"

The doors banged opened, and by reflexes, my head turned. A man and woman in their late twenties entered, unkempt and out of breath. The woman looked away in shame, letting herself blend into the wallpaper while pulling a scarf over the visible, affectionate red marks around her neck. On the other hand, the man spotted the girl weeping first, and fear and guilt gradually engraved into his eyes and facial features. He seemed flustered, looking between her and the figure that laid only a few metres away.

I whimpered, "Father." An unsteady feeling overwhelmed me.

He walked towards the girl, hands reaching out but stopped just a few centimetres away before retracing his hand. Turning away, he walked up to the patient.

"Why?" he whispered. "How?"

I could see the tears starting to form in his eyes, but a bitter sensation grew within me.

"What do you mean why?!" I cried, even knowing he couldn't hear me. "You know why!"

The door opened again, and a middle aged man appeared, dressed in a white lab coat and holding a clipboard. He looked up, surprised at the amount of people in the room.

"Are you… the husband?" he asked and received a slight nod. He opened his mouth, but instantly faced the weeping girl in the room with a hesitant expression. "Your daughter—"

"Um… let me," the woman answered shyly, running up to the girl. "Come on sweetie," she whispered gently, taking a handkerchief and wiping her cheeks. "Let's go get a snack, okay?"

The girl didn't protest when the woman picked her up but continued to cry, as if she was oblivious to everything that happened around her. Her eyes caught the man's in a sad expression as he mouthed the words "thank you" to her. Nodding, she exited, and the scenery changed to the hallways of the hospital. However, the moment she closed the door behind her, the little girl let out a terrible screech, fighting desperately to release herself from the woman's grips.

The door banged opened once more as the doctor and the man emerged.

"Ah–I'm sorry," the woman apologized, trying to hush her up. "Stop crying…please?"

"Mommy! Mommy!" the girl continued to wail, and my heart sunk even further. I ran over, trying to help the girl pry the strong arms away, but my arms went through as I expected.

"Why?" I hissed angrily.

"Daddy, Daddy!" she suddenly screamed, looking at him with large honey-like coloured eyes, and the man froze stiff. "Mommy—Mommy is…Mommy is…!"

He turned away, afraid to look her in the eyes. I growled, wanting to slap him across the face. "Coward!" I snared.

The doctor sighed, pulling something out of his pocket: a needle. "Okay, time for you to go back to sleep if you want to get better quickly," he said sweetly, plastering the usual smile he seemed to have mastered throughout the years in that profession. Grabbing her arm, she cried out in protest, but he pulled up her sleeve and within seconds, the liquid was gone from the needle.

Not surprisingly, my dream started to distort and blackened as the girl closed her lids. I looked away, but something caught my ears before the dream fell apart.

"I can't believe she would do such a thing and to involve a child as young as this."

"Her brain is severely damaged; she may never wake up again."

"…I see… maybe it's for the best…"

My eyes fluttered opened, finding drops of water at the crease of my lids. I stared hazily at the wooden board above my head, ignoring the drops that fell. A few minutes passed before I blinked away the rest, drying them with the blanket before letting my body roll off the bed. I studied my surroundings.

A small, familiar room darkened by the lack of sunlight coming from the windows and fumed by the strong scent of metallic; I instantly knew.

"Tartarus," I spoke, pulling the blanket around my half-naked frame as shivers when throughout my body. I walked out, wanting to desert this suffocating room; turning my head in both directions, I looked for any signs of life.

Empty.

Two long, dark halls stretched out before me in a seemingly endless path. Dead flies littered themselves like a long, thin carpet, patterning the tiles; their measly lived ended in a single whiff of the now poisonous air floating about.

I pressed the ends of the blanket against my nostrils and mouth, finally feeling the effects within this body. I limped slightly, feeling a tad dizzy. Using the walls as a guide, I let my feet glide across the surface towards where I'd hope everyone else was.

Recollection of the recent events appeared, causing my hands to tightened. I had failed. I was still in this world, now deep within the sea of miasma where I could die at any moment. It was like getting a slap across the face as well as having them laugh at me. Pitiful, really.

I stopped and sighed, leaning the back of my head up and against the walls. "Why? Why can't I win? Are you enjoying my pain? Enjoy seeing me fail one time after another?" I shook my head. This wasn't getting anywhere. I was still a mouse trapped in one's maze; just when I thought I was headed in the right direction, another wall appeared, trapping me further into this twisted game.

I advanced forward, finally reaching a set of stairs up to the deck. One by one, my footsteps creaked as they pressed against the steps. My ears perked upon hearing voices behind the door. Not in the mood for wiping away my frown, I pulled the blanket tighter around my lips then proceeded to opening the door.

The voices immediately stopped, and seven pairs of eyes landed on me. I froze, suddenly feeling nervous. I waited, but no one spoke. My eyes shifted from one person's to another until they finally rested on Luke's. His face gradually crumpled up, and in a flash, he pointed angrily at me.

"Her!" he shouted as I was taken aback by surprised. "It's her fault! Yeah! Not mine! It's all her fault!"

What the hell…? I raised an eyebrow. Not exactly the type of greeting I'd expected…

"Luke," Tear began, but Luke hastily interrupted.

"It is! It is!" he cried, running up to me, crudely grabbing my wrist and pulling me forward. I tripped over my two feet, but Luke didn't bother supporting me as he let me fall face first into the ground.

"Luke!" I heard Guy shout, but my head was all jumbled up to care. I saw the blurry figures of Natalia and Ion immediately at my side.

"Tell them!" Luke commanded. "It's your fault this happened and we're stuck here. You caused the hyperresonance! You killed all those people, not me! I'm innocent! I was only trying to defend myself!"

I lowered my head. "As much as I would hate to admit to his babbling idiot, he was partly right. If only I had remembered about the hyperresonance sooner…"

"Ignore him," Jade said, startling me to see he was right beside me.

I blushed. Did I just say that out loud? "I—um…"

However, Jade disregarded my mumbles. "How are you feeling? You shouldn't be out here."

"Hey! Listen to me!" Luke's voice rang in the background. "How come everyone's against me?! Even she confessed she did it."

"Agh! Just shut up!" Anise snapped. "If it weren't for her, you would have had completely destroyed Akzeriuth!"

My head snapped in their direction; did I heard wrong? "Wait! What do you mean? Akzeriuth's destroyed, isn't it?"

They all stared at me as my heart pounded; a smidgen of hope arose. Yet, before anyone could answer, Jade picked me up. I gave a slight yelp and grabbed onto the front of his uniform.

"You still need rest. Your face is rather pale," he pointed out before walking to the door.

"Jade!" Luke called.

"…Colonel?" Tear inquired, looking between the military man and the red head.

"I'm returning to the bridge after dropping Milee off," he replied. "If I stay here, I'll just be irritated by some ridiculous ranting."

As the door closed from behind, I could clearly see Luke's angry eyes glaring at me. I turned away, burying my head in the man's uniform. He walked on in silence. Occasionally, I would steal peeks of the man, desperate for answers. By the time he reached the place where I had woken up to, I spoke, the undying curiously finally unable to suppress itself.

"Jade, what's going on? Akzeriuth—what happened to Akzeriuth?"

As he lay my body back down on the bed, he answered, "It's just as you'd heard. Akzeriuth isn't destroyed. However," he paused, and the blink of hope wavered, "the pillars that support Akzeriuth had been damaged. It could fall at any moment."

I shook my head. "I don't understand." I looked towards the windows to find the haze of miasma everywhere.

"Because you averted his attention from the pillar, they did not receive a direct attack, but the power of your combined hyperresonance along with all of Luke's was enough to severely damage them. This resulted in the mines and the parts around it to collapse, but Akzeriuth as a whole has not collapsed. If we could somehow make it back to the surface and evacuate the remaining habitants…"

I stared, widened eyed. Jade noticed that I had stopped paying attention and gave a light smile. "We're going to Yulia City for now to find some way back to the surface. You've been through a lot. Tear and Natalia healed most of your wounds. So get some rest."

I heard the sounds of the door opening and closing, but I could not sleep. Not after knowing that Akzeriuth didn't collapse. It was still there; sure there was probably a giant hole in the middle of the city, but it was still there nonetheless. But then again, it may not make much of a difference in the end.

I could hear Kamilla's voice lingering in my mind. Her harsh words that broke my innocence; sadly, she was right. I was still here regardless of Akzeriuth's state. I'm still stuck in this hellhole.

"Tell me, old wise one," I commenced sarcastically, "when will this poor, wretched soul be spared of this fabricated world created from one's imagination?"

Of course, no one replied, not that I expected anyone to.

I rolled over in bed. Did Jade really expect me to sleep at a time like this?

I was confused, more so than I'd ever been in my life. I mean, what happened now? Was I supposed to finish this journey, this game? If I recall, there was a time skip half way through the game. Did she honestly expect me to stay here for more than a year?

"I wonder…" I whispered to myself, "has anyone back home noticed that I'm not around? Would they care?"

I closed my eyes, but my father's voice lingered. "For the best, huh? If you were awake, would you care… Mom?"

I looked in awe as an enormous waterfall came into view. The purple like miasma freckled around the falls as the lights of the city glowed from the insides, giving it a mysterious—almost romantic—imagery. I felt a sort of pull towards the city, wishing I had camera on me. I tried to adjust the angles of my limited vision as I stared out of a porthole. I pressed hard but that resulted in the window fogging up. I growled.

"Having fun there?"

I jumped and turned, slamming my back against the wall. "Ow, ow, ow…"

"Are you okay?" Guy asked; his footsteps drawing closer. I looked up and was met with a pair of blue eyes a distance away. Warmth started to envelop me and before I knew it, I latched onto Guy.

"Gah! Milee! Get off of me!" he instinctively shrieked.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I said but pulled tighter.

"If you're sorry, let go!" he yelled, unsteadily trying to pry my arms away.

Reluctant, I let go. Guy didn't hesitate to run to the other side of the room, cowering in a corner. I mentally sighed, but a part of me felt joyous of seeing the blond again. It had been quite some time since we were able to be alone together. I guess you could say he had grown onto me with all his pestering this past month.

"Guy." He looked up at the sound of his name through the hole made by his two arms. A soft smile graced my lips, and he slowly lowered his arms. I felt my cheeks heat up just a slight bit as I entwined my fingers behind my back. "I missed you."

Taken aback by surprised at first, he gawked but ever so slowly, his lips tugged upwards, and he returned my smile. "Yeah, I missed you too. With everything that has happened, we never really had the chance to talk. So, welcome back."

"Thanks Guy."

"And Milee?" he said; his face clearly red as he turned his head.

I tilted my head in confusion. "Hm? What is it?"

"Could you cover yourself?"

I blinked, and for three whole seconds I froze, unable to move. I quickly realized why there were goose bumps all over my body. Not a minute later, I dashed over to the window, where I accidentally dropped my blanket in the spur of the moment and covered myself.

"S-Sorry," I mumbled through the blanket as I lifted it higher and higher, feeling my blush getting worse with each passing second. I mentally smacked myself; handling embarrassment was never my strong suit. You threw yourself at him in your bra and panties; smooth Milee, real smooth. My inner conscience snarled sarcastically, but I ignored her, not wanting a reminder of what I had done. "Sorry, I don't know where my clothes are…and I kind of forgot that…" The heat upon my face grew.

"I-It's okay, don't worry about it," Guy ensured me, still red in the face. His voice suddenly got low as he whispered to himself. "It's not like there's much to see anyways."

"Excuse me?" I felt something snapped from within.

"N-nothing!" he shouted, pressing himself closer to the walls. I sighed softly; it was hard to hate a person like Guy after all. Just then, my eyes caught sight of something. "Are those my clothes?" I asked, pointing to a bag that was slightly opened, revealing pairs of clothes, on the floor.

He nodded, straightening himself. "Yeah, they were torn so mended them for you." Well, that explains my indecent state. I picked them up, seeing the visible lines sewn around the areas I'd been hit. "I'll let you get dress," he said, exiting. "Come out when you're ready. We'll be arriving shortly."

Hearing the door close, I threw the blanket aside and slipped the all-too-familiar clothes back onto my body. I glowered, seeing as all the sewing has caused my clothes to become a bit more snugged than I remembered. Disregarding the minor annoyance, I grabbed my ribbon from the table and swiftly pulled my hair up.

My heart fluttered as the red ribbon glistened from the artificial light, causing the red to look even redder. After securing it into a bow, my hands still lingered on the silky material, sliding down its smooth surface.

"I hope you're okay," I murmured softly.

After leaving, Guy and I walked to the bridge, finding everyone minus Luke inside. I could see from the front view that we were heading underneath the falls, slightly surprised that we slipped by without a single scratch to the Tartarus. Jade started to bark out orders as we prepared to dock.

I could see clearly the inside of Yulia City now. To my dismay, it wasn't all I had expected it to be, after seeing it from outside the falls. It seemed to have a gloomy, almost gothic like appearance to it. It was dark, and the lights only casted more intimidating shadows everywhere. Large windows surrounded the region like a prison, daring anyone to escape the city's watchful eyes. I looked away. I really did not like this place.

"Milee, are you okay?" Ion appeared before me.

I rapidly changed my expression. "Yes, I'm fine, Fon Master. Don't worry about it," I assured him. "Maybe it's just the miasma getting to me."

"We're almost to the city," Tear spoke, having overheard our conversation. "The city was built with the technology that protects it from the miasma."

I nodded, "That's good."

"Oh Milee, there's something I want to ask," Ion uttered, catching my attention. "Where's Mieu?"

I blinked, and silence ensued. So that's why it was so quiet around here! I thought, having forgotten about the blue fuzz-ball completely. I felt stares as they waited for an answer. I hastily put up a blush, looking down shyly.

"Mieu? Well, we got separated in the whole fray with the Oracle Knights," I lied. "Oh, the poor thing must still be just outside Akzeriuth. I hope he's okay!"

"I'm sure Mieu's fine," Ion replied, trying to comfort me. "We're going to go back to Akzeriuth anyways to evacuate the citizens, so we'll look for Mieu as well."

"Thank you."

We disembarked not a moment later, dragging the reluctant Luke along. I fell back a touch, all of my previous excitement dispersed just seconds after entering the city.

"Wow...! This is Yulia City?"

"Yes. The mayor's inside," Tear replied, "let's go."

Our footsteps echoed as we walked to the heart of the city. It wasn't long afterwards that there was one less echoing of footsteps. I stopped and looked behind, finding that Luke has stopped. Pausing, I wasn't sure whether it'd be a good idea to talk to Luke at this point in time. He was likely still furious with me.

"...How long are you going to stand there? Everyone's gone to the mayor's house," Tear called out to him, standing beside me.

"All they'll do is unfairly accuse me of stuff that I didn't do," he snared, glaring at me. "I don't want to go."

"You're even more pathetic than I thought, Reject!"

My heart fluttered at the sound of that voice. "Asch!" I exclaimed, running over to him. "Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm fine," he sighed, gently pushing me away as he looked over at Luke with disgust.

"What are you doing here?! Where's Master Van?!" Luke demanded.

"Hah! You still call him 'Master' even after he's betrayed you?!" Asch laughed cruelly, fist tightening.

"Asch…?" I frowned.

"...Betrayed me?" Luke's face fell, baffled. "Then, Master Van really did want me to destroy Akzeriuth?"

"Damn it! If I'd realized what Van was planning sooner, this never would've happened!" he roared, causing me to stumble back a bit at his anger. "And you! Didn't you think something strange was going on when he told you to use something as powerful as a hyperresonance over a city full of people?! Didn't you think of the consequences if something may have gone wrong?"

"S-so you're saying it's my fault, too?!"

I looked over at Asch, his face distorted into one of disbelief. "Of course it's your fault! Don't even try to deny it!"

"It's not my fault! It's not my fault! It's not..." Luke repeated over and over. He looked back at Asch but spotted me instead. "It's her fault! If she didn't attack me like that, we would have never caused a hyperresonance in the first place—"

"If she didn't attack, if she didn't try to stop you, you would have used your hyperresonance on the pillars directly and destroyed it completely! Be thankful the entire city hasn't sunk yet!"

"But—but!"

"Are all replica brains this defective?!"

"'Replica'?" Luke questioned, his anxiety momentary stopped. "Master Van used the word 'replica', too..."

"...You still haven't figured it out?! Is this someone's idea of a joke?"

"Wh-what?! What the hell are you talking about?!" he demanded.

"I'll tell you, Luke."

"Asch, stop!" Tear shouted out, but I grabbed her by the wrist, shaking my head.

"He needs to know," I gently said.

"Know? Know what? What are you all hiding from me?" Luke's eyes traveled to the three of us, one after the other.

"Why do you think you and I have the same face?" Asch began, and when Luke started spouting nonsense again, he interrupted. "I'm a noble who was born in Baticul. Seven years ago, I was kidnapped by villain named Van."

"You can't mean..." Luke paled.

"That's right! You're a second-rate copy of me! A mere replica!"

"You're lying... It's not true! It's not true!" Luke reiterated, drawing his sword in the turmoil.

"...You want to fight, replica?" Asch snorted, drawing his sword as well.

Even though I shouldn't be excited that they're fighting, I was. Kick his sorry, whiny ass! I mentally cheered for Asch as he sprang forward.

Swords clashed, and I could see Luke's unstable emotions were causing him to make numerous errors as Asch overpowered him. Luke swore, desperately trying to stay on his feet. However, the continuous bashing of Asch's sword on top of Luke's eventually resulted in the replica's defeat. I winced a bit, feeling almost sorry for him as he landed hard on the ground.

"You're lying! I'm not..." Luke's voice turned into a murmur as he attempted to convince himself from the truth.

"I don't want to acknowledge it either! To think that dreck like you is my replica! To think that trash like you stole my family, my home...everything from me!" Asch retorted, slamming his sword into the ground in anger.

"I'm not! I'm not a replica!" Luke cried. Out of nowhere, the worn out Luke seemed to have acted out of adrenaline and swiftly stood, thrusting his sword in Asch's direction.

"Agh!" Asch hissed, unable to dodge quickly enough as Luke's sword slashed him across his stomach.

"Asch!" I cried just as Tear cried out Luke's name simultaneously.

I rush to the God-General's side as he knelt, clutching his bloody stomach. "Move you hand; I'll heal you!" I ordered, pulling his hand away.

"Damn, to think I let that reject land a hit on me. It's no wonder I lost everything. I'm pathetic."

"Asch…" My voice trailed off, unsure of what to say. I placed my hand over his stomach, feeling the hot, red liquid pouring over my hand as I used my healing artes. "No, you're not. You're amazing," I said, facing away from his eyes as I felt a blush beginning to form. "The things you do, to be able to live like this for seven years, to have people follow you… love you… There's nothing to be ashamed of."

"…" I looked at the teenager's face. I wasn't sure if he heard me or not, but the shadow casted eyes of his caused a pang in my chest.

"Asch…"

"Milee." Tear walked over with an unconscious Luke sling over her shoulders. "Let's get them inside."

Nodding, I pulled Asch to his feet. After arriving at Tear's house and setting Luke in Tear's bed, I realized Asch had disappeared. I frankly looked around, trying to spot any signs of the red-head. I walked downstairs but still no signs of him. I frowned; how could I miss someone with bright red hair leave?

I hesitated at the door; should I leave? I glanced at the staircase that led to Tear's room where she and Luke were. I shook my head and pushed the door opened.

"I'm sure it's fine," I mumbled to myself.

One foot forward after another, I walked along the illuminated path. It was hard to tell whether it was day or night as there were no indicators given the location of this mysterious city. There were only a few people here and there, passing by with curious, yet suspicious glances in my direction. I looked away, feeling strange, like a complete outsider.

My lips curved into a sad smile; after all, it wasn't like it was the first time I'd felt like an outsider before. All the times before, I always had to pretend like it didn't affect me, like I didn't care. I always held up my head and smile through everything, no matter the pain from within. But now that I was in a new world, these rules didn't have to apply; at least, just these few minutes, I didn't want to be contradicting.

I looked up ahead. The place was so gloomy, so dark. I looked over to one of the buildings, seeing my reflection in the tinted windows, my darkened image; a reflection of myself.

No matter what I did, it merely seemed pointless in the end. My efforts meant nothing. I could try with all my might, but where will that lead me? Nowhere but an endless goose chase. Sure, I stopped the destruction of Akzeriuth, but it doesn't mean anything if I was still here.

I bit the insides of my lips and lowered my head, letting my bangs fall forward.

Let the darkness shield me just this once; let it hide my sorrows.

Let the tears be invisible to the naked eye; let the pain be repressed by tomorrow.

"Is that so?"

I stopped, hearing the voice I'd been looking for. Closing my eyes, I listened carefully and followed the sounds of his voice. However, irritating giggles caused me to frown. Hurrying, I stopped short of a corner, spotting Asch with a couple of teenage girls.

"What are they doing?" I hissed to myself, feeling a strange emotion bottled up inside of me. "More importantly, what do those skanks want?"

"It's so cool that you're from the Outer Lands! Please, tell us more!" one said, her hands brushing along Asch's arm.

"That little—" I growled; my hands closing into a fist.

"Please! It's so boring here!" the other spoke, twirling a piece of her hair around her fingers while flashing a smile at the teen. "Come on!"

The girls grabbed hold of Asch and began leading him away. However, what shocked me most was Asch wasn't even resisting.

"Stupid Asch! What do you think you're doing, Idiot?!" I accidentally screeched loudly. Quickly, I covered my mouth, but it was far too late as the three stared at me.

"What are you doing here?" Asch demanded, crossing his arms.

"Do you know her?" one of the girls glared at me.

"Is that your little sister?" the other asked.

"Little sister?!" I exclaimed, outraged. "I'm older than him!" I cried as I stormed over to Asch and pulled him away from the two. I faced the girls, giving them my nastiest expression. "Stay away from him if you know what's good for you."

I walked away, dragging the God-General with me. Surprisingly, he didn't resist; of course, not that I was complaining. I dragged him to who knows where. I didn't care, just far away from those tramps.

It was strange; I didn't realized that something like that could tick me off so much. I mean, who cared who Asch talked to; it really wasn't any of my business, so why? Why did I feel so angry all of a sudden?

I stopped as an answer never came. Why was I angry over something so—so trivial?

"What was that all about?" Asch grabbed hold of my shoulders and turned me around. I didn't realize that I released his hand.

I frowned. "I should be asking you the same thing. Who were those girls, and why were you letting them take you away?" I heard my voice rose with each word.

"They're just civilians. I wanted to know more about this place," he answered but gave me a strange look. "Why does it matter to you who I talk to?"

"I-It doesn't!" I shot back. Already, I could feel my face heating up. "I just didn't like the way they looked at you.

"They're harmless," he said, rolling his eyes.

"They're hormone driven teenage girls."

"Like, I said: harmless."

"Not in the context you're probably thinking of."

"Why do you care?" he finally asked. "What I do is my business. If you keep sticking your nose into places you shouldn't, you're going to find yourself in a lot more trouble than you already had."

My lips formed into a very tight line. "Just for your information, I don't care!" I snapped, feeling an ache from within. "Fine, go do whatever you want. Like you said, it's not any of my business!"

"Why are you so angry all of a sudden? I don't understand you at all, annoying brat."

My blood began to boil as I marched up to him, "Why am I angry? Why? It's because you do all these reckless things that cause me to worry about you!" I cried; my chest felt heavy, and my mind clouded. All the heat rising to my head was making me dizzy.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why would you be worried about me? I think all that miasma has gone to your head," Asch concluded. "If that's all, I'm going to see the mayor."

He walked away, his back towards me. A bitter sensation arose. "Why do I worry?" I whispered, heaving in and out, somewhat hyperventilating. "Why?" My voice rose, and before I could stop it, the words left my mouth. "It's because I love you, Dumbass!"

My hands immediately slapped over my mouth as Asch abruptly stopped. He slowly turned, and our eyes met once more. My face and ears burned, and I tried to look away. Sadly, my entire body was frozen into place. Neither of us spoke, and I could have sworn I saw a light tint on Asch's cheeks. If it were any other moment in time, I probably would have teased him nonstop about it. Though, at this particular moment, at this particular time, in this particular situation, where I just so happen to be in a worst position than Asch, it probably wouldn't be the best time to crack a joke.

I took a deep breath, letting my hand fall to my side. "I…um…" I muttered, still quite embarrassed.

Say something, anything! I heard my inner voice screech as I continued to open and close my mouth like a goldfish, staring with large eyes at the man I just confessed to. Milee! Do something!

And that was what I did: something.

I turned, and I ran.

I ran and ran and ran.

Honestly, I didn't care where I was going; anywhere would be better than over there.

Never in my life have I felt so mortified before. Never in my life have I wanted to disappear from the face of this planet more so than I did now. Never in my life had I confessed to anyone!

I suddenly slowed down until I stopped, staring at the ground.

"If only…" I whispered, "…he'd reply back with mutual feelings…"

I gripped the front of my shirt over my heart. Why does it pain so much thinking about it? I knew he didn't have any feelings for me—this loony girl he met just over a month ago, but I can secretly hope, can't I?

"Milee?" someone called. "Is that you?"

"Guy?" I spotted his bright golden hair in the distance. I release the hold on my shirt and flashed him a false smile. "What's up?"

"Everyone went to see the mayor," he replied, but he gave me a strange look. "Milee, are you okay? You don't have a fever, do you?"

"I think you're just imagining things, Guy. Anyways, let's go."

I could tell from the look on his face that he didn't believe me. Nonetheless, I didn't dare comment on it. There was no need for Guy to know about my sudden outburst.

Following Guy, we made short talk along the way. I could still hear from the tone of his voice his concern for me. Yet, I chose to ignore it. It wasn't long before we entered the grand building of city hall and climbed the steps to the mayor's office. Opening, I was surprised to see everyone there—minus Luke, of course.

My eyes shifted away, meeting Asch's for a split second. Looking back, I noticed Asch was no longer focused on me but an elderly man, sitting at the head of the long table.

"There you are, Guy," Natalia called out.

"You didn't have to bring her."

A pair of eyes glanced over at me: Asch's. I couldn't tell what he was thinking with that poker face of his. Not to mention I didn't like the way he said that.

"What do you mean?" Guy inquired, asking what I wanted to know.

"We were discussing plans to return to Akzeriuth," Jade answered. "Fortunately, there is a way to raise the Tartarus back to the surface."

"We've attached a fonon activator to the Tartarus similar to those used by the passage rings. It should be able to stimulate Akzeriuth's Sephiroth and raise a tree one final time," the old man answered.

"And we plan to go back up without her," Asch added.

Frowning, I cried out, "What's that supposed to mean? I can help—"

"We know what you're capable of," Jade interrupted, "but there's still the miasma to contend with. I don't want any more casualties weighing us down; especially with the limited time we have left. Since you don't have any memories, just stay with the mayor and Tear for now; it's not like you have anywhere else to go."

I definitely wasn't happy, but there was no point arguing with Jade. It was like arguing with a brick wall: a complete waste of time.

I sat out for the rest of the meeting; it had nothing to do to me after all. I know Jade was trying to be nice—in a sense. I know I was useless, and my artes aren't that useful, primarily since Tear's and Natalia's artes were so much more effective than mine. No matter how much I try or practice, I always fell short. I was extra luggage, more of a liability than help. How many times had I made an error or gotten into trouble that they had to bail me out of?

Too many times if you asked me.

I sighed, burying my face in my knees. It wasn't like this was the first time all my effort has been wasted, unacknowledged.

I stood, brushing the dust of my pants before walking away. I was going to be struck here anyways, may as well enjoy it. It fitting to say the least, this darken place, surround by poison on all sides.

As I began walking away, someone's arm grabbed mine. I reacted, taking my other hand and tried to slap the man, but he caught it with ease.

"Asch?" I blushed, seeing the God-General as I turned. It was throbbing again. It hurt. It yearned to be held even more by him, but alas, he released me. "W-Weren't you leaving?" I hesitated to ask. Please let a miracle happen. Please let him stay. Stay with me… I secretly prayed.

"Yes, but before that…" he paused, slightly red. "It didn't feel right to leave without saying anything to you about… that."

The confession, I thought, swallowing dried saliva down but feeling it caught right in the middle. I looked away. "It's okay," I replied. "I know what you're going to say anyways."

I know, I just know his answer, but just this once, let me be the heroine in some kind of romance novel. Even as I tried to ignore it, my inner thoughts still lingered.

"Look at me," he commanded. When I didn't, I felt something whack the back of my head.

"The hell—?!" I hissed, massaging the ache, but when I looked at those emerald eyes, I instantly knew I shouldn't.

"Sorry," he whispered. "You should forget about me and move on. I have no romantic feelings for you."

All the minuscule hope I had left snapped in two, the ends fading into nonexistence. Something chocked from within; covering my mouth, I tried not to show how much those few words have affected me, but I simply couldn't.

"I know," I managed to say, hurting with each word. "I know; you didn't have to tell me, you jerk!"

"I have to go now," he said, turning away.

Something inside of me snapped, and at the moment, I lost all sensibility and control. "Wait! Asch!" I ran up to him and grabbed his shoulder, roughly pulling him back. Before I comprehended what happened, I kissed him.

I curled my arms behind his head, deepening the kiss, but obviously, it didn't last long as he yanked me away.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded; a streak of red across his face.

"Can't you see I'm crazy about you?" I shouted, no longer caring who saw or heard me. My voice lowered. "I don't know when or how long, but when I'm with you, I feel at ease, I can be myself. My heart keeps banging against my chest, like it's going to spring from out of there. You're an idiot, a hot-head, but I can't stop thinking about you, Asch." My eyes began to blur. "Don't leave, Asch. Don't leave me."

I heard a sigh coming from him. I rubbed my eyes, attempting to stop the leaks that were spouting.

"Listen, I already told you my answer. Are you listening? Hey!"

I sniffed, "I have a name."

"…Milee…" he said my name, and my heart soared. "I'm not good with this, so just… move on, okay?"

I pulled my hands away, putting on a brave face. "Why? Why can't it be me?" I demanded to know. "It's Natalia, isn't it? It's because she's your fiancée, isn't it?"

"Natalia has nothing to do with it."

"Then why?"

"You're being childish."

"Then, why were you being so nice to be, huh? You must have had some feelings for me," I commented, telling that to myself more so than to him.

His eyes narrowed, and I instantly regretted saying that. "You want to know why?" he asked with a cold tone that I'd never heard him use towards me before. "It's because I pity you. I felt sorry that a civilian girl has to go through all this crap, got that? Let me reiterate: I do not like you, I never will, so get over it. If you understand that much, I'm leaving."

I stopped listening a while ago. It was silly, really. I knew—I have always knew that he never had any feelings for me, and I was fully well prepared for a rejection, or at least I thought I was; it was just that…the thought of actually confessing never crossed my mind—accidentally or not—so in a sense, I guess I never prepared at all because I never thought I would be in this situation right now with a broken heart.

When I regained consciousness of my surroundings, I noticed that I had moved from my current spot to the middle of nowhere. Looking around, it seemed like an underground port, leading to the edge of the city. Dark, damp and cold: that was all it was, and that was all I felt, physically and emotionally.

My eyes lingered on a reflection in a puddle; a reflection of a girl I no longer recognized. There was a quote that said war changes a person, and that was what it seemed like right now, looking at myself, going through this chaotic, dangerous, war-like adventure, where any day could be your last.

I lifted my hands, gently touching the surface of my face. Empty, dark eyes, dried out skin and tangle vines of brown locks everywhere with a tiny red ribbon holding it into place: that was all I could see.

"Ribbon," I mouthed, having all the memories rush back through me once more as my fingertips brushed against the silk.

He was first person I met in Auldrant; the first person I wasn't afraid to open up to. Sure, he was a hot-head, and he was stubborn and hard to deal with, but underneath, he was kind and gentle and caring, enough so to capture a girl's heart… and break it.

I grabbed hold of the ends of the ribbon and tugged as hard as I could on it, ripping it off my head as well as strands of brown hair tangled into the material. Without a second thought, I toss it in a random direction and stormed off, letting the minor headache be the only reminder of my hopeless love life.

It was fun, I must say: getting to experience this kind of adventure. But all in all, I have had enough. No more fighting, no more killings, no more dangers, no more painful emotions… I wanted to return to my peaceful, normal life again. A life where I didn't have to go on experiencing all these unnecessary sentiments that led to the dilution of good, logical judgement. I can still retain my old self, go back and put the locks back over the vault that released this other side of me; a side I was so fearful of.

Can it be done? Can I really go back?

I had tried everything, but it doesn't matter what I did or how much I had changed the storyline, that stubborn girl won't let me go back home.

I slammed my fist hard against the wooden walls beside me, cursing in a fit of rage.

"Tell me! What must I do to get out of here?" I called to the skies. Of course, there was no answer. I grind my teeth together, furious. "Fine then, I'll figure it out myself."

I strolled down the long, empty road, towards the outskirts of the city. I wonder if anyone will notice me leave the city: one lone, shadowy figure amongst the all shadows created by this luminous city. I halted just at the edge of the docks, overlooking the sea of mud and miasma soaring off into the fading distance.

"I wonder…" I whispered. "What if…"

"Milee!"

I glanced over my shoulders, seeing Tear running towards me, sometime red in her hands.

My eyes narrowed. "What is it?"

She stopped just short a few meters from me. "You aren't there to say goodbye which I found strange coming from someone like you. Asch told me I should go look for you; that something may be troubling you."

I stiffened at his name being said. "I'm fine, Tear. Leave me alone." My words sounded much more bitter than I had intended it to.

"Milee, you look pale. Let's go back," she said gently.

"I'm fine! Leave me alone!" I screamed, startling her. I chuckled, a dark, ominous chuckle. "Surprised? I'm not as sweet as you may think I am. In fact, I'm sick of acting like nothing's wrong!"

"Milee—"

"I want to cry when I want to cry, I want to shout when I want to shout, I want to do all the things I want to do, not just because someone told me to do it… but because I want to. I want to be strong. However, through the years, I have learned life isn't as simple as a walk in the park. Every action has a consequence; every word has an effect. A simple gesture can lead to so much more."

"What are you talking about? You're acting strange," Tear spoke, sounding uneasy.

My eyes softened. "I'm jealous; I'm jealous of all those who have never tasted despair, of those who have never felt a burden so heavy that every second of your life feels crashing. I want to laugh, I want to smile, I want to love, I want to do all those things and more! I wanted to live… but of course, it seems my story is going to get cut short. Truth is, I'm afraid; I'm afraid of myself. I'm terrified my actions will end up hurting someone else. I scared to live a life other than that of a doll. It's easier that way. Without strings attracted or a master to control me, I am useless, worthless… garbage basically. I don't know what to do or how to act; I'm just too impulsive, reckless… careless. But no longer shall that be the case… I guess it's time for me to go back to that state. It was fun, I admit, to be able to express myself, even for this short while. I have to go back… back to the place where no one will be waiting for me, but it's the only place I belong. Hahaha, ironic much?"

"Milee—" Tear began, but I interrupted with a tiny, sad smile.

"Sorry, Tear. This is goodbye."

I took a step back, falling.

Goodbye Auldrant.

Goodbye my first love.

Goodbye… everything.

And hello reality.

After all, the mouse couldn't find its way out of the maze; the mouse was tired of playing this game, so the mouse took drastic measures.

After all, now it was game over.

A/N: The end.

…Kidding. It would really suck if it just ended like that, wouldn't it?

First off, let me apologize if this chapter feels a bit rushed and Milee seems a bit OOC. What can I say? She's depressed, heart-broken and everyone's ditching her to go to the surface. Don't worry, I won't keep you all in suspense for too long this time around, especially with this cliffhanger. I'm not that evil.

Anyways, please let me know what you think! Please review! :)