A Cry From Heaven

The trees of the thick woods broke apart from one another into a clearing of a meadow in the middle of the woods. Branches thick and dark tangled into webs above in the canopy, birds singing sweet lullabies to the sky, while bright sunlight streamed in through broken spots in the canvas above, creating bright yellow stars above and shimmering a golden halo onto the green grass, more specifically around a certain figure lying in the grass below. This person was lovely and beautiful, unconscious, and laid like an angel below the beautiful world of the trees. Her skin was creamy white, her hair blowing away from her face and into the grass in thick black vines that tangled deep into the blades of grass, her eyes closed, her arms bent at an angle around her head, and her full red lips were parted as she breathed. Her chest moved barely against her breaths, and a lark flew down to rest beside her chest, her heartbeat calm and sounding to the creature's ears. The lark moved closer to her, and rubbed its feathered body against her arm.

The girl remained still in the falling sunlight, her mind flashing with a collection of blurred and unclear, unfamiliar images from long lost dreams, hazed and foggy to her mind, but they were memories none the less. She saw things she had never seen before, from her own eyesight. She saw many things, many lost memories that she had since forgotten, and it was like a secret Pandora's box had opened, and released into her mind a flood of raging memories long since forgotten. Most of them she didn't recognize, puzzle pieces of an already conflicted image, but then some she could link together with her own memories, and the missing pieces fit in with the overall image, connecting the confusing others together. Soon, her memory was whole, full, and complete. The voice echoing in her ear had ceased, and nothing but still silence greeted her in this dark realm. She then had other things float to her mind, priorities, responsibilities, and people whom she was willing to protect and care for.

Her family, her friends....

These things awoke her, and with a soft sigh, her eyelashed fluttered open to reveal the soft gray pools behind them, staring at the lark beside her arm. The bird saw her, and for a moment didn't move, but then with a fluttering of wings, it flew into the air and back into the branches above. The girl followed the bird with her eyes, sitting up in the grass, and looking above into this natural world around her. A tranquility came about her, a still peace that washed away all confusion and fear from her. She felt nothing but bliss in this natural world. She belonged here.

This place...it made her into a different person. Things were much different now. She could feel it. In her person, in her heart, in everything, she knew there were things now about herself that had suddenly changed. And she embraced this feeling, enjoying it and keeping it with her as she wanted it to stay.

Nothing was going to take this new being that she was away. No one.

Now she just needed a name for this new person that she was....

"Manami!"

At once the girl looked up as a young man came racing towards her, an older boy with a clean shaven head that gleamed in the sunlight that streamed in through the thick leaves above, glittering like stars down upon his scalp. His sunglasses were clenched in his hand as he ran towards her, his familiar cold gray eyes staring down at her with fear and concern flashing within them. He leaned down and placed his hand on her back, keeping her leveled, while he spoke to her, staring deep into her eyes.

"Nami?"

He looked into her eyes, searching for the shadows, the twinkle of light that meant there was still that other being within her, that sacred, holy, and wonderful soul that existed alongside his little sister's. He searched in her eyes, looking for a sign, looking for anything. He didn't notice the playful, friendly smile crossing her full red lips.

"You know I hate it when you call me that," came the light, soft tone that he knew, the quiet, shy voice that belonged to his little sister, Manami. He looked at her, shocked, and then smiled. He couldn't, however, hold back the tears that flooded to his eyes, crystal droplets that were in grief. He now realized that he was too late. She was gone. The woman that he loved, the person he had fallen for, was gone now. No more was Nami inside her.

"Yeah, sorry," he responded to her, standing up, and offering her his hand. He pulled her onto her feet. He couldn't even remember a time when he had called her that name and she had told him that she didn't like being called that, as usually calling her such would awaken the spirit that used to reside inside her, and she wouldn't remember it. He pulled her into an embrace and held her close, teardrops falling from his eyes along his cheeks. He buried his face in her thick black hair, and he felt the soft warmth of her body against his own.

"Sakuya?" she pulled away and looked up at him. She reached up and touched a tear on his cheek, wiping it away. "Why are you crying?"

"Nothing, kiddo," he told her.

He looked at her, and he saw the two women that he loved. He saw his little sister, his beloved Manami, the sweet, innocent little girl, and then he saw Nami. He saw the woman that she was through his little sister, the woman that his sister will eventually become. He loved them both, equally, and there was no denying the fact that one couldn't exist without the other. But in this fact, it was now shown that they were both each other. Nami may not surface anymore, she may not reveal herself any longer, but that didn't mean that she didn't exist. She did. She was just the same as Manami. Manami was Nami. Nami was Manami. They were the same person now, living forever as one. Perhaps that was the way it was meant to be all along.

"Come on, kiddo. We need to go make sure your friends are okay."

"Alright."

He took her hand and began to lead her away from that meadow, but she stopped, pulling at his hand. He turned and looked at her, and saw the worried gaze in her eyes. She was looking ahead into the forest, peering into the dark shadows, the black world, beyond the towering trees into the forbidden territory of where the madness had happened.

"What about...?" her sentence trailed, and he knew she was still afraid. Sakuya smiled at her.

"Don't worry about that anymore. Sameshima and the others will take care of it. This matter will be handled by them. We'll deal with it later on. Now, come on. I'm sure your friends are worried about you."

And with that he convinced her to walk on, to accompany him through the woods, back towards the academy. Not once did she look back into the meadow, not once did she think or grieve for what had just occured. But her heart fluttered when the wind touched her again, and barely whispered into her ear a few unclear words that she heard, and these words grabbed her attention, but she continued on.

"My promise fulfilled...."

"Manami!"

The young woman gasped as she was practically swung into the arms of several different people at once, first a blond girl, then a brown-haired boy, and so many other people at once, it was like a blur of colors before her eyes. She closed her eyes to prevent herself from getting dizzy due to this. However, not one of the persons that embraced her or held her was whom she wanted. No, that person was in a room, being treated for the wound on his arm. She wondered what was going through that person's mind at the moment, if they hated her, or if they wanted anything to do with her. She was praying that it was neither.

"Are you alright?! Are you hurt?! Do you need to see a doctor?!" Asuka and Judai were frantically asking a million questions at once, and all she could do was shake her head. She didn't need a doctor. She didn't feel any pain. She wasn't hurt. A little dazed and unstable, but not hurt.

"I'm fine. Really." She smiled at them very softly, which confused everyone, seeing as how most of them were still confused by the events in the trees just a couple of hours ago. "Actually, I need to see Daichi."

"That's not a good idea right now, Manami," Sho told her very quietly, and this was a horrid shot at her confidence and courage. Her head bowed in regret and guilt, knowing that he didn't want to see her anymore. She could understand. After all, she had just endangered their lives, she had gotten them involved in all of this. It was her fault. It was her fault that he was hurt.

"Oh. Alright." She said this very calmly, but the sadness was definite in her tone.

"Besides, anyways, Manami, you have to get checked out by the doctors. We want to make sure you're okay," Sakuya informed her, but she shook her head.

"I'm fine. Really. Anyways, I...I have something I have to take care of," she informed her brother, but she didn't move from the place that she stood in the hospital ward's hallway. She was trying to collect her thoughts in her head, trying to see through the blurry images and flashes of memories. They were all coming back, all recollecting in her mind, and it was traumatic on her conscious.

She had to make a decision now. She had to figure out what she needed to do, what would be best for herself and her friends and family. Everything literally weighed on her shoulders now. After the events that had occured today, after everything that had just happened around her, she knew things were going to be entirely different now. She saw in her mind what might occur, and it all led to one thing. Everyone around her getting hurt, everyone around her being involved and putting their lives in danger. All for her. She had already put too many people in danger and involved. It was because of her that she couldn't be with her family. It was because of her that she was in Witness Protection and had endangered her entire family. It was because of her that she couldn't see her father, her mother, or be able to hug her little brother close and tell him everything will be alright. Tears welled up in her eyes, but she knew now what had to be done to protect all of them.

She couldn't inform anyone of her choice. At least, not yet. She knew what she had decided was the right thing to do, it was proper, and it would help everyone in the long run. She turned on her heels and walked away from there, heading in the opposite direction towards the exit of the hospital ward, and towards Sameshima's office. She knew she had to inform him of not only the situation and what had happened, but what she wanted to do. She was making a huge sacrifice, she was doing everything in her power to protect the ones she loved. Even if that put her own blessed happiness aside for them. This was what she had to do. She had to keep everyone safe.

A soft rapping knock came from behind the doors of Sameshima's office, but he didn't need to ask to know who it was. He called for the visitor to come in, and wasn't surprised to see that it was Akatsuki Manami. She stood there in front of his door like a shy child, and he smiled, seeing the same little girl he had seen during her entrance exams into the academy. She looked up, her silver eyes bright and sparkling in the afternoon sun, but her lips were still and frowning very sorrowfully.

"Manami! I wasn't expecting to see you! I heard about what had happened, though. About what Abruzzi had done. You're incredibly lucky, young lady. You made it out of there alive. And your friends were willing to stick by you through that. I must say, you should be grateful for what has accured," Sameshima was more complimenting her, when in her mind she felt that she should be criticized for allowing everyone to be involved. Her guilt only grew heavier, but this man wouldn't silence himself. "You should be down in the hospital ward, though. The doctors should be attending to you--"

"I'm fine, Sameshima. I just needed to speak with you," she informed him.

"Yes, of course! What is it?" he asked of her very lightly, but she took a long moment to muster up what she needed to say.

As she spoke, though, the man's face slowly distorted into disbelief and shock. It took her a well fifteen minutes to explain her requests, her reasons, and in the long run, the end results of such. When she was finally done, there was a long moment of awkward silence between them, and then Sameshima was shaking his head in utter shock. But he had no choice.

"Alright. I guess there's no way to convince you otherwise."

"There really isn't, sir. I'm sorry."

"Are you sure that this would be best?"

"Yes. I'm incredibly certain."

She looked beyond him towards the setting sun against the horizon, the orange skies creating an omen for her, a sign of this time ending. Twilight would come soon, the day would end, and with it, so would her chaotic and wild life. No one would be hurt anymore because of her. She would make sure of that.

When the sun finally did set, the students dispersed towards their dormitories to recooperate and try to move on from this struggle. The rest of the academy was unaware of the violence that had occured, nor were they aware of the Marshalls arriving by boat to the island to escort an arrested John Abruzzi and his minions from there. No one saw Manami at all since then, as she had disappeared again, but not in a worried, frantic state like before. They knew Manami was alright, that she was fine, but only one person was truly stressing out over her, panicking for her.

Misawa Daichi was in his dorm room, wincing slightly in pain as he touched his stitched and bandaged arm, relieved that no arteries or fatal places had been hit. The doctors had informed him that he would make a full recovery. But in his mind, there were other things grabbing his attention other than his injury. His mind kept going back to the woods, to the dark, shadowy trees, to the helicopter and the men that crowded around it. He kept worrying about her, if she was alright, and about the situation that had happened. Her words kept echoing in his ear, trying to make sense of them.

"No, I'm not Manami...."

It was a brief, unnoticed sentence that the girl had spoken, but it seemed like right after she had suddenly changed it, taking it back, as if hiding it.

"I am Manami. I just guess you haven't seen me like this...."

He knew, though. He knew that the woman they had seen wasn't Manami. It may have been her body, her physically, but it was like a different person lived through her, lived inside her. He didn't know this other woman, but he knew why she was there. She was determined to protect Manami, to keep her safe, to shield her. Just as he would. He loved Manami, and a part of him deeply cared for that other person. But he wondered, if the next time he saw her, would he see that person again? And if he did, what would he do? What could he do? His beloved was suffering with two different beings inside her, one that he adored and loved as this particularly shy and lonely girl, and the other that was a complete stranger to him, a forceful, aggressive, and violent person. Could he love them both? Was that even possible?

"I love you, Daichi...."

"Manami." He sighed and got up from the bed to walk over to the window. He peered out into the falling dark night, lamps turning on in the walkway to illuminate the darkness to the students that were walking about. There was no one out there. No one that he instantly recognized though. He blinked, and then he saw a figure moving in the shadows just beyond the walkway, spinning in the luminescent golden light that washed over the black pavement. He at first couldn't clearly see the figure, but then he saw, in the golden light, a pale of silver eyes staring up at the dormitory. He at once recognized those eyes in the abyss of shadows, and without thinking, without being rational, he stormed out of his room and through the halls of the dormitory, until he was at last outside in the night.

The cool night air was comforting, soft, and caressing to his face, combing through his hair and gentle like fingertips stroking his face. He stopped short of his steps and felt his body give in to the tender touch of the night, his heart fluttering with the amazing wind that floated about him, whispering affectionately in his ear. He paused for a moment, truly enjoying the night, but when he opened his eyes, it seemed to him that the person waiting for him on the walkway was further away now than he thought. He rushed to this person, running on the paved concrete, until at last he came into clear view of them.

Manami stood before him very elegantly, her thin and frail body dressed in a very light white gown that flowed around her like an inverted lily that came just down to her knees, while the spaghetti straps of the gown fit over her shoulders. Her black hair fell down her back and around her shoulders like the perfect frame, accentuating her pale white skin, and her silver eyes stared up at him with a large smile on her full red lips. She was very beautiful. There were no shadows in her eyes, no antagonistic emotions. Only bliss, peace, and happiness. And he couldn't help himself as he scooped her up into her arms and brought her close to him, feeling the warmth of her body to his. She smiled, but there was no blush to cross her face. This was new to him.

"Manami, I'm so happy you're okay," he told her cheerfully. She didn't say anything, but followed his actions, leaning close to meet his lips and kiss him very tenderly. Not passionately. It seemed as if the sparks had dimmed and were no longer as intense. This surprised him. What was she thinking?

"What happened? You didn't come back with us. Are you hurt?" he continued to ask her, and these were the same questions everyone had been asking her all afternoon. Her answer was the same.

"No, I'm not hurt. I'm fine."

"I was really worried," he leaned back in to kiss her again, but she pulled away this time, breaking out of his arms. His heart at once broke a little, shock thrumming through him. She had never pulled away like that before. It was like she was repulsed by him now. Or was it something else? Did she not love him anymore?

"Manami, what's wrong?" he asked of her, the worry in his voice clear.

"There's something I have to talk to you about, Daichi," she told him very softly, gentle, as if afraid her words would hurt him like knives.

"What is it?" he asked her, but she shook her head.

"Let's take a walk. Let's go down to the beach," she suggested to him, and he had no choice but to follow her.

The two of them made their way across the campus in uncomfortable silence towards the beach, the girl walking four to five paces ahead of him, nearly running down to the white sand. In the night, the beach was beyond words could describe, the ocean a black omniscient presence that crashed hard and merciless waves against the pure, soft, and white sand. The ocean made beautiful soft sounds against the shore as it repeatedly crashed over it, one by one, against the coast, and Daichi stared in bisbelief as the woman that he loved made her way down to water's edge, her back turned to him. She looked like a goddess, an angel standing against the black sky and ocean, amongst the white sand, her dress billowing away from her body with the gust of the sea. She looked incredible, absolutely angelic, and he felt that if he approached her or grew too close, she would fade away and disappear into oblivion, never to come back. She was complete, perfection to his eyes, and she made him feel whole. She made him feel like every missing factor in his life was nonexistent, and that she really did complete him. In his heart, he knew that since his birth, he was meant to be with her, and that he was the lucky one, having found someone so spectacular.

"Manami?" he called to her, but she didn't turn to him or respond back. She just continued to stare out into the black ocean. She took a step closer, burying her feet beneath the frothy waters, enjoying the ice cold touch against her skin. The wind was very cool, but gentle and affectionate. Fingers of the spirits combed through her hair, and she sighed with release to the world around her.

"Manami," Daichi was closer now, right behind her, and he reached to grab her hand, but he knew that if he touched, she would indeed vanish.

She turned from the ocean to face him, and her silver eyes were stunning in the dark night, like bits of the moon themselves. He stared into them, dumbfounded by the person he was seeing. He wasn't seeing the shy Manami, nor was he seeing the other person that lived inside her. No, this was being was different, separate. It was the both of them, together at last, but like an otherworld person, formed and molded to become something new. He saw the unfamiliar strange glimmer in her eyes, no sorrow, no pain, no suffering, just a faint light, a twinkle of a star, and that was all.

"I can't deny how I feel for you, Daichi. I can't resist the emotions that I have for you, how strongly I need you, how much I desire you. There's no doubt about any of it. I am in love with you," she started speaking very softly, her voice mellow and calm, but barely audible over the sound of the waves.

"And I love you," he answered, reaching to grab her face and kiss her, but once again, she pulled back.

"That is why I am doing this. I can't stand knowing that I'll be responsible for everyone getting involved and getting hurt. It wasn't my intention for you to be involved in this, anyways. I can barely stand myself for letting you get hurt in the first place," her eyes fell on his arm where the bandages covered the wound. The wound that she had caused. His hand flew up to try and conceal them, though the very touch of it caused him to wince. She closed her eyes, her emotions restrained, all but guilt, that is.

"This isn't your fault, Manami. It was my own stupid self--"

"No, it wasn't your fault, Daichi. You saved me. You protected me. I couldn't ask for that. I can't even ask for your love, your dedication. You love me far too much. And I'm not worthy of it. That's why I made my decision today."

"Wait, what decision?!" Daichi grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look him in the eye. However, he already saw the answer.

"I'm leaving, Daichi. Tomorrow, I'll be leaving the academy, heading home, to be with my family. They need me more now than ever."

"What?!" he released her, but his entire person turned to stone, cold and immobile stone.

"I have to do this, Daichi. It's the only way to keep everyone here safe...the only way to keep you safe. I don't want to be the reason for you or anyone else getting killed."

"Manami--"

At once, she grabbed him and forced her lips to his, silencing his protest. At first, he was frozen, but then he slowly returned her kiss, his fingers wrapping into her hair and bringing her further into it. However, before the kiss could escalate to anything more, she pulled away again.

"I love you, with all my heart and soul. So I'm asking you to just trust me on this. This will keep you safe."

"Will I ever see again, though?" he asked her, knowing that once she leaves here, both his and her life will go into different directions, and he doubted if their paths would ever cross.

She smiled kindly at him.

"I'm sure we will. After all, I think we're destined for each other."

There was perhaps no madness quite like the next day in which nearly the entire school crowded about on the docks to see off one of their own, their classmate. Classes were excused as the departing of a good friend took place, and everything was in a fury of excitement and grief. Students clamored together to cheer or sob goodbye. However, back in the dormitories, one person was hesitant to leave their room, knowing that it would be the last time they would ever see it. The walls were stripped barren of any drawings or sketches, which were packed in a portfolio in one of her suitcases. All clothes and belongings were put in their place in her bags, her sketchbook amongst the clutter of things in her bags, and everything was cleaned, dusted, and made presentable for the next person to live in this room. The glass wall that peered out into the island before her showed her a bright and clear blue sky, no clouds, and bright golden sunlight streamed in through the glass pane, illuminating the room beautifully.

She was going to miss this room, this place, this island, but it had to happen. This was going to make everyone that she cared about safe and protected. The only way to truly take care of them is to stay out of their lives. This was going to be a sad goodbye, but it was the only way.

As she left the dormitory, she said goodbye to a few students here and there, but she walked alone down the walkway towards the docks, a crowd of people following her as she went. She at last came to the docks where the yacht waited for her to board, and waiting for her was her brother, Sakuya, standing beside Sameshima and Chronos. As she made her way through the thick crowd of people, and as she came to the docks, she found her friends there waiting for her. Sakuya immediately came to grab her bags while she hugged and said her goodbyes to everyone there. The last person she came to was Misawa Daichi, who looked as if he'd rather be anywhere else but there. She couldn't blame him for that as she embraced him and kissed him.

"I know you'll probably hate me, but trust me, this is for the best," she assured him, but he shook his head.

"How can you be so sure of that?" he asked of her. She just smiled.

"I don't know, I just do," she said as she lifted herself up and kissed him sweetly again. He pulled away quickly.

"Oh, and to let you know, I don't hate you. I can never hate you," he informed her. He smiled when he saw the twinkle in her eyes. "I love you."

"I love you," she echoed when she brought him back for another kiss, only this one was so passionate that it could set the entire island on fire and neither one of them would have noticed. It took a long moment for someone to clear their throat, and without a blush she at last slipped her hand from his and joined her brother on board the boat.

Once on deck she turned and waved to all of them, blowing kisses, and acting as if she was leaving on board of the Titanic. Like such, this one didn't have a happy ending, it didn't have the two lovers bonded together for all eternity. No, this story was coming to an end fast, and as Daichi watched the boat slowly fade away into the horizon, he bit his bottom lip and held back the sorrow that was surfacing. The ship disappeared into the sunlight, and Daichi was standing there with his friends. Judai instantly turned to him, Asuka by his side, and comforted him the best that he possibly could.

"You know, Daichi, it's better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all." It wasn't making Daichi feel better.

"Yeah, I've heard that one a million times before," Daichi pointed out to him, and shook his head. He will miss Manami. That was without a doubt.

"Oh, and Daichi! Manami told me to give this to you!" Asuka instantly pulled from her person a small plastic case with a note attached to the top of it. He took it, and stared down at the note. "She said it will help you. I don't know what she meant by that."

He looked from Asuka to the note taped to the case, and he read the words within his mind, echoed by Manami's voice, as if she was speaking directly to him.

"When you listen to this song, I hope you will always think of me.
And know that I love you with everything in me.
You are my angel, my soul mate, my true love.
And I'll never forget you.
Especially when it rains.

I love you."

Daichi put the CD case away, only to later play it in his room alone when he would bury his face in a pillow and allow himself to cry in mourn for her leaving. As he would listen to the song, he would hear Manami's voice slowly singing to him, like the beautiful angel that she was, singing to him the miraculously beautiful song that he now loved so dearly, as much as he loved her.

"When it rains, I don't mind
Let me stand here all night
Did she take her own life?
Let me know she's alright.

And every time it rains
I feel her holding me
And every time it rains
All the angels cry out

I'll stay strong, I'll be fine
Carry on with my life
I'll still stare at the sky
Pray for rain all the time

Why'd you run?
Did you hide?
Why'd you leave?
No goodbye?
When the clouds take the sky
Does the snow give you life?

And every time it rains
I feel her holding me
And every time it rains
All the angels cry out

I'll never be the same...."

FD: This is the very last chapter of the Kiss From A Rose story. Unfortunately, I will not be adding anymore to the story, but I will be rewriting the story to make it more original. I will give an excerpt of the first couple of chapters of the alternative version, but it will not be posted any here. Instead, you can check it out on under the name Liz's Dystopia, where it will have the same title...maybe. I'm actually thinking of renaming it. Anyways, I do apologize for taking so long to update, but unfortunately, life is hectic, it's wild, and I barely have time to sit down and write anything anymore. I will not be continuing fanfictions, though. I wanted to finish this one, and maybe one other, but as of now I am discontinuing any fanfictions, and will be working on original pieces on . I'm sorry to those who are unhappy about this, but this is my choice. I am sorry.

As a heads up, the last song mentioned above is titled "Rain Song" by the band Cold. It was originally the song that I was going to link with this last chapter, because I think it fits perfectly. I'm sorry to those who are upset about either how long I took to update or my decision with my writings. I'm very sorry. Thank you though for being patient and reviewing my works how often as you have. I appreciate it.