Xin Ru Si Hui (A Heart Reduced To Ashes)
Chapter Seven
What if Max had been in love with Zack as well as Logan during Blah Blah Woof Woof? Who would she have chosen? What would have happened?
Max and Jondy rode home, not racing, but riding slowly and taking in all of the sites. They reached Max's place, and took the bikes upstairs. It wasn't until they had reached Max's apartment that Max realised she still didn't know why Jondy was here. When they got inside, Max told Jondy to sit down, while she made some coffee.
With the two cups of post-pulse coffee in her hands, Max walked back into the lounge room, and sat down on the couch next to Jondy.
"Not that I'm not happy to see you again Jondy," began Max, "But why are you here? I didn't think that anyone knew where I was except Zack."
"You're right, Zack was the only one who knew where you were. But yesterday he gave me a call. He just told me that there was trouble in Seattle and he wouldn't be able to get there in time. He said to go to the Space Needle and wait there. That was it. He didn't say why, or for how long I had to wait, just to wait there. And then when I saw you riding up, I was excited. I would finally get to see my baby sister again. But I couldn't just jump out of the shadows or anything. Zack hadn't told me what to do. So I just waited, watching you. Then when you were about to jump, I figured that this was the trouble Zack was talking about. I couldn't let my baby sister jump. Not while I was there. So I stopped you."
"I'm sorry, Jondy. I don't mean to be a hassle. I didn't mean to make you come here just to stop me killing myself."
"You aren't a hassle Maxie. I have been looking for ten years, trying to find my baby sister, who I left behind. I didn't even know if you made it out in the end. Zack never said anything about you. He never even mentioned that you were alive."
"He didn't?"
"He wouldn't tell me anything. He didn't tell me where any of the others were, but he at least told me that they were alive. So I kept looking, searching for you, not knowing if I'd ever find you."
"I tried to find you too. Zack never told me anything, so I didn't have much to go on. He didn't even tell me who was out and alive."
"The closest he ever got to talking about you, was to tell me that I could go anywhere I liked except one place. Seattle. I didn't know why, but now I think I know. It's because you're here. But why wouldn't he let me see you? I've seen Krit and Brin."
"Because I risk tactical exposure just by being here, and if any of you were to come near here then I would get you caught. Just like Zack."
"No, not like Zack. Zack sacrificed himself because he loves you and you love him. He wanted you to have a normal life. A better life. One that didn't include going back to Manticore."
"I know that he loves me, but he didn't have to do what he did."
"Yes he did. You know Zack. He would not have been able to live with the fact that he had sent the one he loves back to the very place we're all trying to get away from."
"I know. I just..."
"You love him."
"Yes. I do."
"And you wish that he was here right now."
"Yes. I do."
"But that's not going to happen baby sister. Much as I hate to say that, it's true. For the minute any way. Zack won't stay in Manticore for long, you know that. He couldn't. He'll find some way to get out of there and back here to you. What you need to do is get on with your life, and wait for him to get out, and come back to you."
"I guess you're right Jondy. I also guess that this means that I have to go back to work."
"Yes it does. I'll come with you."
"You don't have to do that Jondy."
"I don't have to but I want to. I don't want to let you out of my sight for the minute. I want to make up for those ten years that we spent looking for each other, but not finding anything."
"Alright then. But be warned, Normal's an ass."
"What?"
"My boss Normal. He's an ass."
"Alright. So we'll show him what X-5's are made of."
"No way sister. I need this job."
"Fine Maxie, you can't have any fun. But that doesn't mean that I can't have some fun. And I promise not to get you fired."
"What are you going to do Jondy?"
"I don't know yet. I'm still thinking."
"Well let's go then ok?"
"Sure Maxie."
When they got to Jam Pony, Max put her bike down in the locker area. Normal saw her and walked over.
"Well, well, well look who decided to come in today." He remarked
"Don't bust my chops, Normal or I might snap and kill again."
With that she walked over to where Jondy was standing next to Original Cindy.
"Original, this is my sister Jondy. Jondy this is Original Cindy. Jondy's just come into town for a while O.C. Is it ok if she crashes at our place?"
"That's fine boo."
"Kool. Hey Jondy, you want to..."
"Max. You better see this!" cried Jondy, pointing at the television.
A reporter had appeared on the screen, talking.
"We interrupt this program to bring you news of a fatal air accident in the Cascade mountains. The helicopter was en route from Seattle airport and was rumored to be carrying a prisoner wanted on a federal warrant. The cause of the crash is under investigation. There is an unconfirmed report of gunfire at the scene of the crash but police say no survivors were found on the doomed aircraft."
Max watched as the television went back to the normal program. She went over to her bike and hoped on.
"Max! Wait a minute!" yelled Jondy.
"I have to go think."
"I know you do baby sister, but I'm coming with you. There's no way you're going to the Space Needle by yourself. I won't let you."
"Then hurry up Jondy."
The two girls revved their bikes and rode out the door. This time, they rode straight to the Space Needle, hid their bikes and climbed to the top. When they got there, they sat down and just stared out over Seattle for a while, before Max started to speak.
"I knew it. He always said he'd rather die than go back to Manticore. I guess he did what he said he would. He died. And I was the one who made him do it."
Max began crying again, and Jondy put her arms around Max, tears streaming down her face as well. A minute later, Max pulled away from Jondy.
"Will you let me do it now?"
"No. I will never let you. I don't care what happens, you will never kill yourself as long as I'm alive."
"But I'm a curse. I kill anyone who gets close to me."
"But I'm not dead yet."
"If you stay too long you will be though."
"I don't believe that Maxie. And neither should you."
"But I do."
"Well I can't help that. So stop worrying about please?"
"Just for you Jon."
The two of them sat there, not talking, watching as the people of Seattle went home to families, or slept in alleys. They watched as the moon rose over the buildings and began its journey over the night sky. After they had been sitting there for many hours, Jondy finally spoke up again.
"What are you going to do now, baby sister?"
"What do you mean?"
"Are you going to stay in Seattle, or will you leave? You could always come somewhere with me."
"I don't know Jondy. I don't think I could bear to leave Seattle, even after all of this."
"Well, I'll stay with you for as long as you like, you know that don't you Maxie?"
"Yeah."
"One day, you'll begin to live again sister. You'll find another man."
"No. I don't think I will. I loved Zack, and now he's gone. Xin ru si hui sister, a heart reduced to ashes."
A male voice called out from the shadows behind them, "But out of the ashes of old a phoenix is reborn, baby sister."
"Zack!" Max cried as she jumped up and ran to him. She threw her arms around him, as he lifted her of her feet.
"I love you Zack," she whispered.
"I love you too Maxie."
~~
Well then. That's nearly the end. Only one more chapter to go. And you ask 'why one more chapter' or maybe 'why only one more chapter' and I will say to that 'you'll have to wait till I write it.'
Thank you Hanna for being my one and only faithful reviewer. I hope you like this ending.
Chapter Seven
What if Max had been in love with Zack as well as Logan during Blah Blah Woof Woof? Who would she have chosen? What would have happened?
Max and Jondy rode home, not racing, but riding slowly and taking in all of the sites. They reached Max's place, and took the bikes upstairs. It wasn't until they had reached Max's apartment that Max realised she still didn't know why Jondy was here. When they got inside, Max told Jondy to sit down, while she made some coffee.
With the two cups of post-pulse coffee in her hands, Max walked back into the lounge room, and sat down on the couch next to Jondy.
"Not that I'm not happy to see you again Jondy," began Max, "But why are you here? I didn't think that anyone knew where I was except Zack."
"You're right, Zack was the only one who knew where you were. But yesterday he gave me a call. He just told me that there was trouble in Seattle and he wouldn't be able to get there in time. He said to go to the Space Needle and wait there. That was it. He didn't say why, or for how long I had to wait, just to wait there. And then when I saw you riding up, I was excited. I would finally get to see my baby sister again. But I couldn't just jump out of the shadows or anything. Zack hadn't told me what to do. So I just waited, watching you. Then when you were about to jump, I figured that this was the trouble Zack was talking about. I couldn't let my baby sister jump. Not while I was there. So I stopped you."
"I'm sorry, Jondy. I don't mean to be a hassle. I didn't mean to make you come here just to stop me killing myself."
"You aren't a hassle Maxie. I have been looking for ten years, trying to find my baby sister, who I left behind. I didn't even know if you made it out in the end. Zack never said anything about you. He never even mentioned that you were alive."
"He didn't?"
"He wouldn't tell me anything. He didn't tell me where any of the others were, but he at least told me that they were alive. So I kept looking, searching for you, not knowing if I'd ever find you."
"I tried to find you too. Zack never told me anything, so I didn't have much to go on. He didn't even tell me who was out and alive."
"The closest he ever got to talking about you, was to tell me that I could go anywhere I liked except one place. Seattle. I didn't know why, but now I think I know. It's because you're here. But why wouldn't he let me see you? I've seen Krit and Brin."
"Because I risk tactical exposure just by being here, and if any of you were to come near here then I would get you caught. Just like Zack."
"No, not like Zack. Zack sacrificed himself because he loves you and you love him. He wanted you to have a normal life. A better life. One that didn't include going back to Manticore."
"I know that he loves me, but he didn't have to do what he did."
"Yes he did. You know Zack. He would not have been able to live with the fact that he had sent the one he loves back to the very place we're all trying to get away from."
"I know. I just..."
"You love him."
"Yes. I do."
"And you wish that he was here right now."
"Yes. I do."
"But that's not going to happen baby sister. Much as I hate to say that, it's true. For the minute any way. Zack won't stay in Manticore for long, you know that. He couldn't. He'll find some way to get out of there and back here to you. What you need to do is get on with your life, and wait for him to get out, and come back to you."
"I guess you're right Jondy. I also guess that this means that I have to go back to work."
"Yes it does. I'll come with you."
"You don't have to do that Jondy."
"I don't have to but I want to. I don't want to let you out of my sight for the minute. I want to make up for those ten years that we spent looking for each other, but not finding anything."
"Alright then. But be warned, Normal's an ass."
"What?"
"My boss Normal. He's an ass."
"Alright. So we'll show him what X-5's are made of."
"No way sister. I need this job."
"Fine Maxie, you can't have any fun. But that doesn't mean that I can't have some fun. And I promise not to get you fired."
"What are you going to do Jondy?"
"I don't know yet. I'm still thinking."
"Well let's go then ok?"
"Sure Maxie."
When they got to Jam Pony, Max put her bike down in the locker area. Normal saw her and walked over.
"Well, well, well look who decided to come in today." He remarked
"Don't bust my chops, Normal or I might snap and kill again."
With that she walked over to where Jondy was standing next to Original Cindy.
"Original, this is my sister Jondy. Jondy this is Original Cindy. Jondy's just come into town for a while O.C. Is it ok if she crashes at our place?"
"That's fine boo."
"Kool. Hey Jondy, you want to..."
"Max. You better see this!" cried Jondy, pointing at the television.
A reporter had appeared on the screen, talking.
"We interrupt this program to bring you news of a fatal air accident in the Cascade mountains. The helicopter was en route from Seattle airport and was rumored to be carrying a prisoner wanted on a federal warrant. The cause of the crash is under investigation. There is an unconfirmed report of gunfire at the scene of the crash but police say no survivors were found on the doomed aircraft."
Max watched as the television went back to the normal program. She went over to her bike and hoped on.
"Max! Wait a minute!" yelled Jondy.
"I have to go think."
"I know you do baby sister, but I'm coming with you. There's no way you're going to the Space Needle by yourself. I won't let you."
"Then hurry up Jondy."
The two girls revved their bikes and rode out the door. This time, they rode straight to the Space Needle, hid their bikes and climbed to the top. When they got there, they sat down and just stared out over Seattle for a while, before Max started to speak.
"I knew it. He always said he'd rather die than go back to Manticore. I guess he did what he said he would. He died. And I was the one who made him do it."
Max began crying again, and Jondy put her arms around Max, tears streaming down her face as well. A minute later, Max pulled away from Jondy.
"Will you let me do it now?"
"No. I will never let you. I don't care what happens, you will never kill yourself as long as I'm alive."
"But I'm a curse. I kill anyone who gets close to me."
"But I'm not dead yet."
"If you stay too long you will be though."
"I don't believe that Maxie. And neither should you."
"But I do."
"Well I can't help that. So stop worrying about please?"
"Just for you Jon."
The two of them sat there, not talking, watching as the people of Seattle went home to families, or slept in alleys. They watched as the moon rose over the buildings and began its journey over the night sky. After they had been sitting there for many hours, Jondy finally spoke up again.
"What are you going to do now, baby sister?"
"What do you mean?"
"Are you going to stay in Seattle, or will you leave? You could always come somewhere with me."
"I don't know Jondy. I don't think I could bear to leave Seattle, even after all of this."
"Well, I'll stay with you for as long as you like, you know that don't you Maxie?"
"Yeah."
"One day, you'll begin to live again sister. You'll find another man."
"No. I don't think I will. I loved Zack, and now he's gone. Xin ru si hui sister, a heart reduced to ashes."
A male voice called out from the shadows behind them, "But out of the ashes of old a phoenix is reborn, baby sister."
"Zack!" Max cried as she jumped up and ran to him. She threw her arms around him, as he lifted her of her feet.
"I love you Zack," she whispered.
"I love you too Maxie."
~~
Well then. That's nearly the end. Only one more chapter to go. And you ask 'why one more chapter' or maybe 'why only one more chapter' and I will say to that 'you'll have to wait till I write it.'
Thank you Hanna for being my one and only faithful reviewer. I hope you like this ending.