A/N – Yea! This is the last chapter! Except for the epilogue, which I am definitely going to include.

And so I present to you, my faithful reviewers, the conclusion of "Second Chances"!

I claim no ownership over the Shamanic Princess characters.

Chapter 11 – The Rose

I would be lying if I were to say I was not nervous.

I was terrified.

Bowed down on one knee, a small figure in the long expanse of the great hall, I wait, quivering, for my answer to come.

After leaving my home I flew north, passing fields, forests and many dwellings before arriving at the Guardian's Temple. With each step I took closer to the room where my audience with the Guardian would begin, I shook more and more in fear.

'What if my request is refused?'

Would I go on with my plan despite the refusal, or accept that Graham would remain a lower class?

'No, I couldn't live with that. I have to make this work, I have to!'

"Your request is granted."

I look up, certain I have misheard. "Wh-what?"

"If you are willing to brave the difficulties of this ceremony, then you may proceed as you desire."

My heart fills with relief and exhilaration. I want to run around and shout my joy, but I withhold such childish reactions and slowly rise to a stand.

"I-but… this has never been attempted before, has it?"

"No."

I know that I should stop before I push my limits too far and risk having the permission withdrawn, but I cannot resist asking my question.

"Then why are you letting me do this? I'm so young, I have no experience, and I'll be disrupting the way things are done in the Guardian World… I just would like to know why…?"

The powerful figure regards me with burning eyes.

"You are much like Tiara. Asking questions to which you already know the answer."

I stare, not understanding. I begin to speak, but the Guardian has already closed his eyes and bowed his head, signaling that my audience is at an end. Resigned, I breathe out and turn to travel back down the hall. Despite my elation at my request being met with an affirmative, I am suddenly filled with anxiety for the task that now lies in front of me. The Guardian had explained, at the beginning of my audience, what the ceremony would entail. Father had been telling the truth when he said precise concentration and control were necessary.

'So much could go wrong. And if I do succeed, what of my parents? Aunt Lena? What will they think of what I have done? Mother… what will she say?'

So lost in my thoughts as I exit the great hallway, I jump when a soft voice echoes from the shadows.

"Why are you doing this?"

Graham steps out from a darkened corner into the dim light.

"Why are you doing all this for me?"

I lick my lips, the words 'I don't know' on the tip of my tongue.

But if I am to bring him to my level, and truly make him an equal, I must be straight forward and honest. I can no longer run circles around a truth that has been in plain sight all along.

So I tell him.

"I love you."

The only answer I receive is stunned silence. He seems frozen.

"I'm doing this because… because I love you. And I want you to be happy… Graham… I love you."

My legs shake and I swallow harshly as he comes forward, his face stopping a mere breath from mine. The air around me has become unbearably heated and tense. It is what I know he always wanted to hear, but had never expected.

His eyes watch me, waiting on edge.

"I- I love you, Graham." I whisper.

My next breath he consumes, his kiss as intense as his emotion behind it. I allow my fingers to bury themselves in his silky hair I have come to love so well, while at the same time feel his one real arm wrap itself around my waist and pull me closer. He keeps his head tilted to the side, saving me the rough scraping of his metal mask. My heart flutters at his considerate gesture, and I thank him by deepening the kiss.

Eventually we are forced to stop and breathe, and I am reluctant to let it end. I keep myself pressed against him, and am glad that his arm continues to grip me tightly. Resting my head on his chest, I inhale deeply and become aware of, for the first time, the sweet and windswept smell of him. So many things I have never noticed before. I have only scratched the surface of who he truly is.

I want to spend the rest of my life exploring his mind and heart.

"Thank you…" he murmurs into my ear, his warm breath sending happy shivers up and down my spine.

"For..?" I prompt.

He says nothing, but presses a kiss to my temple and hugs me tightly, and I understand.

"You're welcome."

Approaching the Summoning room where the ceremony will begin, I fight the desire to break and run. I am not afraid at all for myself, but for Graham. So many things can be done wrong, each with horrifying consequences. Sensing my growing tension, Graham squeezes my hand comfortingly.

His gesture only renews my fear of hurting him.

But I can no longer go back. To do so now would be cowardice, and, more over, a betrayal to Graham, who has put enough faith in me at this point that to back down now would be a crushing blow to his spirit.

I won't do that to him. I will not be that cruel.

I have to do this for him.

For me as well. I need him.

The doors open wide before us. We enter, and stop outside the ring of light where Graham and I first met.

The giant doors close behind us, and I think again that they creak with an ominous and foreboding tone.

One by one, the tall green, red, and yellow figures appear around the ring.

Offering my hand one last squeeze, Graham leaves my side to stand center in the circle of light. He watches me with eyes devoid of fear.

He trusts me so much.

"Begin," a voice says, echoing in the surrounding blackness.

I nod. My hands come up, and clasp in the ritualistic manner of Summoning, no different from the last time I was here.

Only this time, I will bring the entirety of my partner to this world, ripping what last traces of him remain from where he began and securing him here.

Needless to say, it is going to hurt.

I close my eyes, and once again search through the miasma for a familiar thread. I find it, and travel its length with my mental eyes until it disappears into infinity. Curious, I give it a tug towards us.

Graham screams.

I jump, whipping open my eyes to see him kneeling on the floor in a fetal position while his body quivers in mental and physical pain. In my mind I pull away from his thread fearfully, shaking my head furiously. I can't do this, not if I have to make him scream.

Graham feels my withdrawal. "No!" he grunts, fighting to make his words coherent. "Do it… please! Riya!" I choke, and take a shuddering breath. Shutting my eyes tightly, I search for the thread again, and this time grab it without hesitation. The agonizing cries of pain ring in my ears, and tears flow down my cheeks. 'I'm hurting him… Graham, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!' I pull feverishly at the thread, willing it to break. I have to make this stop… I'm going to go insane listening to him scream his voice raw. I tug harder, feeling the thread cut into my hands and make them bleed. Beneath our cries I am distantly aware of a cracking sound, but I cannot concentrate enough to wonder what it is. My real hands, still clenched in the sacred design, are wet with sweat. My skin burns with the friction of my blood beating through my veins. Graham's body thuds back and forth on the ground, rolling in torture as he moans brokenly, his throat too red and sore to make any other noise.

My mind's fingers slacken, and my hold on the thread begins to slip.

'No… I can't… I have to… Graham…'

One last tug…

Graham screams a dry and silent scream…

The thread snaps…

A loud CRACK!

Something sharp spins by my face, putting a small cut in my cheek.

I open my eyes.

Graham has collapsed in a heap on the floor. My hands are soaked in sweat and blood.

'Graham… no, you can't be… don't… GRAHAM!'

"Graham!" I yell, forgetting the beings present, and stumbling frantically to where he lies still and silent. "Graham…" I whisper, gently shaking his shoulder. "Graham!" I pull him over to see his face…

And gasp. His mask, his metal arm… they're gone. The crack I heard… it was his mask…

"Graham… wake up… please wake up… see, we did it, it's all over, you're free… you can stay here forever… Graham, please wake up…" I hunch over his prone form, watching intently. I am rewarded with a sudden, shuddery breath, and his body giving a twitch. "Riya…" he whispers, his voice nearly gone from screaming. Turning his head in my direction, he opens his eyes.

"Oh…"

My lips part in a small gasp of astonishment. He is beautiful. His eyes, now both real and open, are a stunning, icy blue. The silky hair feathers on the ground and through my fingers, catching the light like spun silver. His face, once half-hidden, proves to be softly curved with defined masculine features that present a determined and gentle air about him. His skin, covering smooth muscles that ripple under my touch, is of a darker and tanner quality than I remember. I am looking, for the first time, at Graham's real self.

And oh… he is perfect.

It is like holding an angel in my arms.

Graham lifts a weak hand to touch my cheek uncertainly. "Riya?"

I smile, looking into those depthless eyes of his. "Graham… you are beautiful."

He smiles back at me, and wraps his fingers around my neck to pull me down for a kiss.

Please stay tuned for the epilogue.