Cat's Cradle (An Illyana's Passage Story)
Author's note: Ominous foretelling at the end of the last chapter but... we all know that Illyana cannot remain as she is as much as I wish she could.
Part 20c was the first thing I wrote when I created this story; that and then Chapter 21. Yea I wrote endings before I wrote the story. As I've said before, this entire story was based upon the song We Belong by Pat Benatar. When I wrote the two sections I had no actual idea that Illyana and Katherine were to become lovers in this story. I suppose it was odd to write endings and then write a story that ended up at those endings but that was how it worked out.
Odd, I though I'd get some comments or reviews from Dani (Mirage) fans based upon chapter fifteen (not really a bunch of Dani Fanfic out there). Thought I did a really good femslash involving Dani/Illyana.
Oh, and chapter 21 is not the end. There are 26 chapters in total. Which I find rather odd in that the first Anita Blake/Illyana story was also twenty five chapters and roughly the same number of words.
Part 21a: Cradle's ending
Illyana stood within Cat's cradle once again. It was late in the afternoon. The air was dry but cold as the sun now shed but little warmth. There was a cold breeze blowing with occasional gusts. Little dust devils could be seen in the distance.
Illyana sighed. The cradle had become a home, and now it was fading. Would soon be gone. And with it... well. All things fade.
Most of the grass was now brown and so were most of the leaves on the trees.
Illyana went on a run and found most of the animals gone and the stream dried up. She ended back at the camp just as the day drew to an end.
Illyana built massive bonfire from the vast amounts of suddenly plentiful dead tree limbs, and ate some roasted leftover meat from yesterday. She thought about sleeping in the bed but couldn't bring herself to do it. She knew she'd breakdown if she did. She retrieved the sheets and a pillow from the bed and slept by the bonfire; and yea she cried anyway.
As she gathered the pillows and sheets she also retrieved a wooden box from under the bed. After the fire was built and supper consumed she opened the box; it contained Katherine's favorite fireside vice.
Gram crackers, chocolate, and a half full bag of marshmallows. All the fixings you needed to make s'mores. The fixings were in a box because a family of Meerkats had appeared about two weeks ago and loved to steal the marshmallows.
Illyana made s'mores the way she liked them, marshmallow free and then proceeded to slowly toss the marshmallows into the fire. She watched each one burn. Nice white exterior burning away into flames, blackness, and in the end burnt cinders; good for nothing at all.
She saw movement by the edge of the bonfire circle. The Meerkats were standing and looking at her. With a sigh she held out the last marshmallow. Katherine had so loved to toss a few marshmallows each night to the Meerkats; they had looked so cute holding them in their paws and eating them.
The alpha female strolled over and took the last marshmallow from her. The rest of the little tribe wandered over as well. Instead of fighting over the solitary marshmallow they each took a bite until it was gone.
Illyana bedded down and for some reason the Meerkats bedded down with her. Illyana welcomed the company, she... she was not used to sleeping alone anymore.
She dreamed of the ladies.
Part 21b: Fate
Illyana stirred. She found herself in the cottage of the ladies, sitting at their kitchen table. The three ladies were also sitting at the table. They all looked sad and concerned.
The ladies were:
Urd, a young woman. Maker of the threads
Verdande, middle aged. Weaver of the threads
Skuld, aged crone. Cutter of the threads.
Skuld spoke first"We told you daughter of no woman that this would bring you far greater grief then ending her plight".
Urd then spoke "You have two questions left daughter. Use them well".
Illyana rubbed her eyes, they were red from crying. She spoke.
"I have but one question at this time ladies and I don't think it counts".
Verdande sighed. Again the designs of Fate was not being followed. The child was supposed to ask her two remaining questions at this point. Fate was again blind to what daughter of no woman would do. Well... she was still a difficult one, as all of her ilk tended to be. Verdande spoke.
"As before daughter we will let you know before answering".
Illyana put on a brave face, but her lower lip was trembling.
"Tea next Tuesday? I'll... I'll bring the cake as always".
All three ladies sighed. Why did nothing go according to script with this one?
Verdande answered again "Yes daughter, that would be nice and no it does not count against your questions".
"Thank you ladies. Thank you so very much. I... I can never repay you for what you've helped me do".
Skuld tut'd. "There there child. It'll be all right. She'll do fine". Which earned Skuld a nastily look from Urd which Illyana did not see. Answers without questions were not supposed to be done per the rules; but apparently nothing was working right today.
Illyana lay her head back down on the table and dreamed... dreamed of her love.
Part 21c: Endings...
Illyana awoke at the kiss of the sun's last dawning. The bonfire but a smoking mound of cinders and the Meerkats gone.
She awoke to find a chocolate chip cookie on a plate. Illyana had never gotten any gifts from the enchantment, that had always been Katherine. She supposed the enchantment was saying goodbye. To itself, to Illyana, to existence.
All things die. And it was almost that time...
She gazed about the dying enchantment and then took one last run.
She put on some ear buds and hit the special play button. Rags by the Waterboys played.
Everything is rags
And there's nobody to blame but me
And it would be so easy
If there was no one to hurt but me
But now everything that I do
Coming out of me will just tear through you
In and out of you
Up and down your life like a curse
Cast by the only Son of Rags
Who would wrap you up in all the finest tatters
Though he wanted nothing more, my loved one
Than to wrap you up in joy
But it'd never be with me
You and I are like two worlds
Not meant to collide
Death to each other
In the unravelling of time
...
...
To have one foot in Eden
One foot in Hell
To be always numb
Plagued by demons
Summoned by angels
At the same time endlessly?
But I will
Burn me
Right out of this place
...
...
Illyana turned off the IPod. It... it was too much. She had not known that living could be so... so sweet and that love... love could be such a bitter blessing.
Illyana ended her run at the workout platform. She stood on the wooden workout deck and looked over the landscape.
The dying was speeding up. Fall had fully arrived and the trees now suddenly started shedding their remaining leaves. The grasses had all turned brown and the no animals could be seen. A cold dry wind was blowing scattered leaves and dust about, and the wind was growing stronger.
Illyana manifested a page of parchment and a small note and began to write. When she was done the parchment and note vanished.
Illyana sighed to herself and then decided to have one last dance. She took up an on guard position in the center of the deck, but bereft of any weapons. Then she began. It was a combination of combat moves, both armed and unarmed. Practice as it were. She danced about the deck dodging imaginary blows and striking back. She danced hard and long until sweat dripped from her body and face.
Then the dance seemed to change, almost as if she danced with another now. A reflection of the combat practices that Katherine and she had exchanged. An echo of a last dance. The blows and dodges slowly stopped and now it was just the dance.
Sometimes leading, sometimes being lead. Sweat continued to drip off of her face, or... or was it something else?
The wind was blowing harder and the trees were now all bare and waving in the wind. Dust was being kicked up and the visibility was dropping; the remote cliffs now obscured.
The enchantment had begun in song. Illyana decided it should end in song as well. Burning house had been the birth cry. But another song would herald the... ending.
With a small flick of her wrist the IPod turned on and played one last song. It was We Belong by Pat Benatar.
It was not a random choice. Illyana chose this song for the ending just as Burning house had been chosen as the birth song.
Many times I've tried to tell you
Many times I've cried alone
Always I'm surprised how well you
Cut my feelings to the bone
Don't wanna leave you really
I've invested too much time
To give you up that easy
To the doubts that complicate your mind
We belong to the light
We belong to the thunder
We belong to the sound of the words
We've both fallen under
Whatever we deny or embrace
For worse or for better
We belong, we belong
We belong together
Maybe it's a sign of weakness
When I don't know what to say
Maybe I just wouldn't know
What to do with my strength anyway
Have we become a habit?
Do we distort the facts?
Now, there's no looking forward
Now, there's no turning back
When you say
We belong to the light
We belong to the thunder
We belong to the sound of the words
We've both fallen under
Whatever we deny or embrace
For worse or for better
We belong, we belong
We belong together
Close your eyes and try to sleep now
Close your eyes and try to dream
Clear your mind and do your best
To try and wash the palette clean
...
...
We belong to the light
We belong to the thunder
We belong to the sound of the words
We've both fallen under
...
...
The dust steadily obscured the horizon until finally all sight was blocked, the last thing to be seen was Illyana still dancing on the platform. Her arms are outstretched and hands curved as if she was desperately hugging somebody.
Hugging them for comfort? Or was it hugging them goodbye?
Cat's cradle faded away.
And...
So did the Illyana of Cat's cradle.
Somewhere... Katherine screamed in grief as she felt the Illyana that she loved... dissipate and fade away.