Chapter Nineteen : In The End
He stood before her, forcing himself to push back his feelings, to make himself calm, composed and invulnerable.
He was sweating, the liquid making him uncomfortable.
He rubbed his hands against his jeans, forcing himself to fall back into the darkness.
Inch by inch, he fell. The ever familiar black pit of despair enveloping him, invading him once again.
It embraced him, welcomed him back to the dark, changed him.
It was easier now. Easier to confront her, when all but a part of the light had been banished from his heart.
He was a pawn, dominated always by the king, used, and deceived, and controlled, and conquered, and always...always alone.
He had hurt others under the orders of his grandfather.
People he had never met, and people he had.
And now, he had to do it all over again, but this time it was to someone who had entered his heart, who had pierced a hole through the darkness and had drawn the light in.
Before her, he hadn't thought himself capable of loving another being, hadn't thought that he could be one of the light, that he could leave the darkness that had been his companion, his home, for as long as he could remember.
And now he would destroy that.
Destroy her.
He knew that she would get over it, it may take some time, but the pain wouldn't last.
He was aware as he opened his mouth to begin to talk that the others approached them, confused looks on their faces.
He grasped her arm, drawing her away from them, muttering a quick not now. Which earned him a curious glance from Tyson and Amille, and a concerned pair from Ray and Callie.
They looked at each other, the worry evident in their eyes.
They watched them walk away, and Tyson and the others leave, telling them that they'd catch up.
"He's going to break up with her." Ray said, his face grim.
"I know." she replied, "I guessed that something had changed this morning, but-"
"I know." he replied, drawing her into his embrace.
"She'll be devastated."
"Should we?"
"No."
"Why not?" she demanded, turning in his grip.
"Because, this is something he has to do." Ray replied, pulling her away to follow the road down to the others.
Kai and Serena entered the clearing where they'd first met in the park. The large tree, once seeming comforting and beautiful, now seemed dark and foreboding, as if picking up on the moods of the two.
He clenched his hands into fists, releasing his anger at the choices he had been given into them, before turning to look at her.
She regarded him carefully, confusion flickering across her face, her eyes encouraging him.
It was time.
Serena watched him confused, willing him to tell her what was wrong. When he didn't respond to the message in her eyes she decided to try verbally.
"What's is it Kai, what's wrong?" she asked, her voice encouraging, but beneath the superficial encouragement, there was a tone of panic, barely heard.
He looked at her, his heart momentarily trying to leap from his chest, to take control. To comfort her and let her know that everything was alright.
But it wasn't.
And as soon as those words entered his mind the darkness took control again, removing the guilt, and the compassion he felt, leaving a mask of cool control on his face.
He had mastered that face when he was a boy, and had been beaten for showing his emotions to the old man, and it was coming in handy, for all the wrong reasons.
"Kai, talk to me, how can we be a couple if you won't talk to me?" she insisted, her heart skipping a beat as her stomach flipped around nervously. She was nervous, but of what?
"I can't." he replied, his voice filled with a tone of finality that frightened her.
"You can't what?" she asked, the panic rising further, "Can't talk to me?"
He was silent, refusing to meet her eyes before saying quietly.
"That's not what I meant."
"Well what ~do~ you mean?" she demanded, fear making her irrational.
"I want this to end." he said finally, drawing his eyes up to meet her own, filled with the coldness that they once had, the invulnerability.
He was once again, untouchable.
"Kai?" she asked, stepping backwards, fear in her voice now.
"We can't stay together any more Serena, you know it as well as I do."
"Kai, I want my life to be with you." she insisted, looking at him pleadingly.
He disregarded it, saying two words that would haunt her forever. "I don't."
"You don't want to be with me?" she said, stepping back, eyes filling with tears, shock and confusion running across her face.
He refused to answer and she looked up at him, tears flowing freely down her face.
"I can't believe you're breaking up with me." she said, stepping back further, hitting the hard trunk of the tree, and sliding down, sitting on the ground.
"Goodbye Serena." he said, stepping away from her, turning and leaving the clearing.
Serena wrapped her arms around her knees, hugging them as if they were her favourite thing in the world and cried.
It was over.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
AD: Hmm, that seemed like a longer chapter when I was typing it than it actually is. Probably because of how dramatic it is.
Oh alright, I know you guys are going to come at me with pitch forks, and axes and stuff, but aim at Kai, I mean he is the one who broke up with her after all.
Kai: You wrote it!
You never liked being with her in the beginning, and you've been sulking ever since I did put you guys together.
Anyway, I'll reply to the reviews, remind you that there is going to be a sequel, which will come out as soon as I can work out a name for it, and that the epilogue will be posted next, as the last part of this story.
Kita: Sorry, but as I said, I've had this planned out since I started this story, If you don't like it you don't have to read it, but there's going to be a sequel, so anything can happen then.
Dranzer: His grandfather own bio-corp or whatever, if that doesn't sound like a technology place then what does, and anyway, it's so that he can inform his grandfather of what'd going on etc. No it's not on the Kenny side. Glad you liked the Ray/Callie bit.
Purra: Your weird logic is not that of our earth logic. That's not fair either cause I already posted out another chappie, and you haven't! Yep, you guessed it, what you didn't guess was that this would be the end of the story though. Ok, well I'd better go start writing the epilogue then think up what's gonna happen in the sequel.
Thhe Windcaller: Because, I'm a mean, evil author who wanted to leave it as a cliffhanger to annoy you guys. Hope away.
Ok, well review, and I'll be back with the epilogue soon.
He stood before her, forcing himself to push back his feelings, to make himself calm, composed and invulnerable.
He was sweating, the liquid making him uncomfortable.
He rubbed his hands against his jeans, forcing himself to fall back into the darkness.
Inch by inch, he fell. The ever familiar black pit of despair enveloping him, invading him once again.
It embraced him, welcomed him back to the dark, changed him.
It was easier now. Easier to confront her, when all but a part of the light had been banished from his heart.
He was a pawn, dominated always by the king, used, and deceived, and controlled, and conquered, and always...always alone.
He had hurt others under the orders of his grandfather.
People he had never met, and people he had.
And now, he had to do it all over again, but this time it was to someone who had entered his heart, who had pierced a hole through the darkness and had drawn the light in.
Before her, he hadn't thought himself capable of loving another being, hadn't thought that he could be one of the light, that he could leave the darkness that had been his companion, his home, for as long as he could remember.
And now he would destroy that.
Destroy her.
He knew that she would get over it, it may take some time, but the pain wouldn't last.
He was aware as he opened his mouth to begin to talk that the others approached them, confused looks on their faces.
He grasped her arm, drawing her away from them, muttering a quick not now. Which earned him a curious glance from Tyson and Amille, and a concerned pair from Ray and Callie.
They looked at each other, the worry evident in their eyes.
They watched them walk away, and Tyson and the others leave, telling them that they'd catch up.
"He's going to break up with her." Ray said, his face grim.
"I know." she replied, "I guessed that something had changed this morning, but-"
"I know." he replied, drawing her into his embrace.
"She'll be devastated."
"Should we?"
"No."
"Why not?" she demanded, turning in his grip.
"Because, this is something he has to do." Ray replied, pulling her away to follow the road down to the others.
Kai and Serena entered the clearing where they'd first met in the park. The large tree, once seeming comforting and beautiful, now seemed dark and foreboding, as if picking up on the moods of the two.
He clenched his hands into fists, releasing his anger at the choices he had been given into them, before turning to look at her.
She regarded him carefully, confusion flickering across her face, her eyes encouraging him.
It was time.
Serena watched him confused, willing him to tell her what was wrong. When he didn't respond to the message in her eyes she decided to try verbally.
"What's is it Kai, what's wrong?" she asked, her voice encouraging, but beneath the superficial encouragement, there was a tone of panic, barely heard.
He looked at her, his heart momentarily trying to leap from his chest, to take control. To comfort her and let her know that everything was alright.
But it wasn't.
And as soon as those words entered his mind the darkness took control again, removing the guilt, and the compassion he felt, leaving a mask of cool control on his face.
He had mastered that face when he was a boy, and had been beaten for showing his emotions to the old man, and it was coming in handy, for all the wrong reasons.
"Kai, talk to me, how can we be a couple if you won't talk to me?" she insisted, her heart skipping a beat as her stomach flipped around nervously. She was nervous, but of what?
"I can't." he replied, his voice filled with a tone of finality that frightened her.
"You can't what?" she asked, the panic rising further, "Can't talk to me?"
He was silent, refusing to meet her eyes before saying quietly.
"That's not what I meant."
"Well what ~do~ you mean?" she demanded, fear making her irrational.
"I want this to end." he said finally, drawing his eyes up to meet her own, filled with the coldness that they once had, the invulnerability.
He was once again, untouchable.
"Kai?" she asked, stepping backwards, fear in her voice now.
"We can't stay together any more Serena, you know it as well as I do."
"Kai, I want my life to be with you." she insisted, looking at him pleadingly.
He disregarded it, saying two words that would haunt her forever. "I don't."
"You don't want to be with me?" she said, stepping back, eyes filling with tears, shock and confusion running across her face.
He refused to answer and she looked up at him, tears flowing freely down her face.
"I can't believe you're breaking up with me." she said, stepping back further, hitting the hard trunk of the tree, and sliding down, sitting on the ground.
"Goodbye Serena." he said, stepping away from her, turning and leaving the clearing.
Serena wrapped her arms around her knees, hugging them as if they were her favourite thing in the world and cried.
It was over.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
AD: Hmm, that seemed like a longer chapter when I was typing it than it actually is. Probably because of how dramatic it is.
Oh alright, I know you guys are going to come at me with pitch forks, and axes and stuff, but aim at Kai, I mean he is the one who broke up with her after all.
Kai: You wrote it!
You never liked being with her in the beginning, and you've been sulking ever since I did put you guys together.
Anyway, I'll reply to the reviews, remind you that there is going to be a sequel, which will come out as soon as I can work out a name for it, and that the epilogue will be posted next, as the last part of this story.
Kita: Sorry, but as I said, I've had this planned out since I started this story, If you don't like it you don't have to read it, but there's going to be a sequel, so anything can happen then.
Dranzer: His grandfather own bio-corp or whatever, if that doesn't sound like a technology place then what does, and anyway, it's so that he can inform his grandfather of what'd going on etc. No it's not on the Kenny side. Glad you liked the Ray/Callie bit.
Purra: Your weird logic is not that of our earth logic. That's not fair either cause I already posted out another chappie, and you haven't! Yep, you guessed it, what you didn't guess was that this would be the end of the story though. Ok, well I'd better go start writing the epilogue then think up what's gonna happen in the sequel.
Thhe Windcaller: Because, I'm a mean, evil author who wanted to leave it as a cliffhanger to annoy you guys. Hope away.
Ok, well review, and I'll be back with the epilogue soon.