Second last Chapter XO

So yes, Im back, after soo long. And once again, I am sooooooooooooooooooooo sorry :'(

Ive been real busy what with homework, study and my birthday (on Tuesday :) )

This chapter is kinda just a filler... But I think it's an OK filler chapter :P

Xxxxx R&R

'Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal…'

1 month later:

Zoe's POV:

The first thing I thought of when I woke up was, 'Happy Birthday'

But it wasn't my birthday.

15th of August, almost 3 months after mine in May, Takuya would've been 15 today.

I pushed back the covers of my bedspread and glanced around the room. This past month had been lonely and frightening… scary, unhappy. My bedcovers had been white at one stage but now were a sickly grey. My room was immaculate although. And instead of the pale blue wallpaper that used to be on my wall were hundreds and hundreds of pictures.

Photos.

Taken over the last, now eleven really, years. Most of the photos were taken by my parents, or Takuya's parents; Pictures of Takuya with scruffy baby down hair and wide dark brown eyes and a small smiling mouth, only 3 months old next to pictures of me at the same age with no teeth and wafts of blonde hair and big bright green eyes. One of my first days of kindergarten, my arm around a slightly smaller boy with a gap in his teeth and wild hair, another of Takuya at my house, another at his, another at my 5th birthday party, another at his.

I scanned my eyes through the timeline of pictures, covering whole three walls. I watched as I grew from a cute baby into a sweet little girl into a teenager. I watched my blonde hair grow longer, my figure develop, my legs grow longer, my green eyes brighter. I watched Takuya grow from a tiny baby (he was premature, and I wasn't allowed those pictures) into a cute toddler into an adorable little boy with a football jersey and dark tufty brown hair and the biggest eyes I had ever seen into an athletic, whippy teenager.

There were pictures from birthdays, the park, picnics, with our other friends, at each other's houses, in prams, at the hospital from when Shinya was born (a small Takuya cradling a baby in his arms grinning), at the zoo, at first haircuts, in the bath (unfortunately, there was a picture snapped of us in the bath together though luckily you can't see anything in the water because it's so murky and I can't remember the incident. I hoped Takuya didn't remember), at dances, at parties.

Growing up with him as I watched us go from the zoo with our parents in our prams to parties with our friends only half a year ago, us clutching two Cokes while everyone in the background was clutching lager.

A cute picture of Takuya a year ago sitting on a picnic bench with his hair sticking up in tufts and his wide eyes looking Bambi-ish, his middle finger flipping me off, so many pictures these last two years that they take up one wall, from my phone to my camera to other phones and cameras, I had built up a huge collection.

There was one of him shirtless, tilting away from the camera, because it was originally of me in my birthday dress, looking more grown up than I ever had, and him just going to the showers after practice. I had hesitated on putting that one up, because I felt a sting looking at it, though it was of me, there was an unsuspecting half naked Takuya in the back ground grinning at an angry Koji.

I eventually put it up.

I didn't want one thing to be missing from my collection. There were pictures of me and Amy sitting side by side, sipping drinks, talking and one of us unknowingly chatting, unaware of a mischievous drenched Takuya behind us, with a water filled balloon, ready to drench us.

There was one of Koji kissing Amy, one of the twins sitting in matching suits for a wedding looking pissed off, a couple of JP stuffing his face, a few of Tommy on Takuya's shoulders, a few of us all, happy together.

The last wall was filled with stills of our 'adventure' that had lasted a year to us, 3 months here in the real world.

There was one with Takuya looking deadly with wings protruding out of his back, looking serious, one of us all (excluding Amy) laughing sitting around a fire. A couple of Takuya looking pained, no one realising his secretive expressions.

I felt a slap on the inside when looking at these photos.

I didn't see how much he was hurting until I saw these pictures, where he was wincing with agony behind our backs. There were a few of Koichi and Koji, JP and Tommy. There was one with a fire tornado whirling around both of us, our outlines barely visible.

There were a few of everyone looking, with different expressions, caught at an odd moment. But the most treasured one, bang in the middle of the wall, on a backing, the only framed picture on the whole room, was the picture of me and Takuya kissing in the shade of the tree. Our first 'real' kiss, the one when Takuya ran off and I eventually followed him.

I guess the guys had been filming it after all.

I edged one toe out of bed, and then another until my whole foot was touching the floor I heaved out of the soft comfortableness, and tip tapped like a ghost to the door. I took one long look at my collage, the one that had taken me so long to do, and I opened the door and shut it behind me. I breathed out, standing in the hallway. The house was empty.

My parents were and still were afraid to leave me by myself. They wouldn't know what would happen. Honestly, neither did I. My feet sunk into the carpet while I reflected over the last month. My parents had sent me to so many councillors and therapists and psychiatrists… but no one can heal a broken heart. Since Taki's funeral, I haven't spoken a word. I traced my fingertips down the banister as I made my way down. I wandered around like a ghost nowadays… School was starting soon, maybe in about half a month, but I don't think I'll be going back for a while. I don't think any of the gang would.

The gang, my mind wandered over each and everyone's faces.

JP: Had retreated inside himself, but still went out a lot. I don't think I've seen him since the funeral, I don't really want to. He tries to avoid us, because apparently he met Koichi in a town centre and then burst into tears. My heart twisted a little at the thought. He wanted to forget.

Tommy: Had become more and more baby like until he had lost almost all his words. Everybody said the event had traumatised him so much that he was in a permanent state of shock. I believe that he's just sad; he doesn't want to talk to anyone and stays most days curled up on someone's lap crying. If you mention Takuya's name he shakes his head confused as if he's already forgotten who he is. The poor little guy is completely confused.

Koichi: Mainly stays in the house most days. He's on the computer all the time. If I sign onto MSN (Appearing offline of course, I don't want to talk to anyone) he is always online. He was one of the only one of us who went on television, on every big news station and recorded that we just wanted to be left alone. You can't leave the house without someone snapping a picture of the famous 'Souls'. We were heroes in their eyes, Koichi had said, but we're just human beings. And we need a life

Amy: Had reverted to her previous lifestyle that she had led before she had met Takuya at a dance. Was back to drinking, smoking and taking drugs. She was always out, and the cameras didn't usually follow her, yet they followed everyone else. Last time I saw her, she was hanging outside a club, wearing strange clothes. I had hurried on before she saw me. Like everything else in my life now, she scared me. (PMSL HAHAHA AMY YOUR A DRUGGIE: Luv Lindz)

Koji: Had managed to sustain his relationship with Amy. I didn't understand how, with all the stalking and the crowds and the pressure… But sure, Taki and I worked (kinda) in the other dimension, when we were going to die (I took Koichi's hand, my heart stings) and we still lasted (he walked into the mirror and he died). Koji started up a lifestyle similar to Amy's and were often hand in hand, completely pissed, but still in love (he said he loved me, he said he loved me)

My eyes flicked up to my upper arm as I saw the words engraved there in pick scarred letters.

RIP

I stroked them with my pinky, feeling their stitched bumps ridge along my fingertips as I turned my hear to the other side of my body, and in the same place, in the same indelible ink was

Takuya.

I stroked it again, feeling the tears splash onto the letters. I could have gotten a tattoo. But I wanted it to be more personal. The words would never fade from scars from a knife. And no one would ever see them.

I trailed up to my bedroom again before un-tacking the note that was on the fridge. It said how my parents were out for the day and that they trusted me to be on my own and to not go out or answer the door.

They wouldn't trust me if they knew.

I swivelled the knife around my fingers as I collapsed on my bed. Wasn't this the day I had been dreaming of? I didn't want to leave a note. I didn't want to leave anything behind. Erase my existence. I hadn't seen the gang in over 3 weeks. I missed them, but I refused to see them. I wanted them to forget me.

Was sick of reflecting instead of going out, sick of remembering instead of making memories and I was sick of waiting when I could end this right now. But could I? I threw the kitchen knife on the floor and watched it wearily. I wondered if I could live without him, like he said. I could move on. After his birthday had finally ended.

I could be free.

But could I?

I had finally made my decision. 3 hours had past. I was going to do it. My eyes closed painfully as the familiar hilt of the knife clenched in my hand. I sat on the edge of the bath, listening to the water run and splash into the bathtub.

My knees jiggled and as I undressed and sat in the bath, feeling the warm water lap against my skin, feeling the steam rise up and colour my cheeks, feeling complete somehow. I smiled for the first time in weeks. I laughed aloud as I sank down in the water, letting the knife slip from my grasp and sink underwater, watching my reflection giggle with me, the shining mirror scalding my eyes. I reached for it again, my fingers dipping into the water, the reflection bubbling and splitting. I took the knife in my hand.

It was then I heard the crunch of gravel outside. I sat up quickly and yanked the knife up and threw it across the bathroom, so it clattered to the floor. What seemed so beautiful and gothic a moment ago seemed sinister and threatening a moment later.

Takuya's face flashed in my mind, the expression he wore just after he had been infiltrated by Darkness. His words echoed in my mind.

What was I going to do? What had I done?

I flicked water out of the bathtub when I heard a sharp crack at the door. I jumped out of the bath, water running rivulets down my back as I scrambled out of the bathroom in a towel, feeling guilty, feeling a blush of deceit trail down my collar bone. I peeked around the bottom of the stairs.

It was almost dark out, my parents had been gone all day. I caught a glimpse of the front door. Hairs stood up o the back of my neck and I gave a shudder. My blood ran cold. My hand scraped away paint on the banister. A figure was lurking outside the door. It was deadly still. There was another sharp crack at the door and I shrunk terrified out of any sight, hoping they didn't see me.

There was another bang and I realised they could break in if I didn't answer the door. I decided to take my chances. I was more terrified here, than I was moments ago, where I had been facing imminent death with a pleasurable course of feeling. Right now… I just felt scared. There was a metallic sound and my head snapped around.

A key…

They were unlocking the door.

I gave a short scream and I turned to flee up the stairs but I knew I was trapped. God knows what was lurking behind that door. A revengeful Klay, a crazy fan, a murderer.

I was rooted to the spot as the door creaked open, no noise accompanying it. My arms gave shuddering jerks and I was pressed against the wall desperately. I squeezed out a couple of tears as I heard the door juddering to a halt at the doorstopper. Gentle footsteps crept nearer

Closer

Closer.

I felt like I would faint as the shadow dawned across the carpet. I let out a long scream before the shadow leapt at me, tackling me to the ground. The weight of the figure was not abnormally heavy but strong arms pinned my arms to the ground. I was still screaming but my lips were sealed shut with a kiss so powerful it knocked me off my feet.

If I wasn't on the ground.

I tried to break away but my vision swirled in front of me, dark brown eyes so deep they pierced my soul. They slid open once more to reveal messy dark brown hair, large dark eyes and a tanned face.

I felt my voice catch

Takuya

Takuya

But he was dead it was impossible. How was he here. He was kissing me again before another thought could bumble into my brain and he released my arms and they slinked around his waist

Takuya

Takuya

Takuya?

I think the next chapter is going to be the last chapter! XO Nooo :(

Well.. if you've read this story and somehow (if its mildly possible) liked it, check out my other story: Omnious

So yes, Takuya is back somehow. It'll be explained (badly) in the next chapter

Woo hoooo X))))) Thanks again for alllll the reviews I've gotten! Xxx love you all

Peace Peace