Just for the record, I agree that Ryu and Irene are married… but… after reading this, I guess you'll see what happens. And I don't dislike Irene, in fact in my opinion she rates fairly high on the girl character list, but for this story it was necessary to be this way. Sorry. :(
Couldn't she just leave me alone? Hayabusa thought angrily, pacing the floor of his hotel room. Must she keep irritating me? It's bad enough that I have to look after her, let alone have her bothering me and criticizing my every action in the process…
Maybe I'm just being too picky. Maybe it's something I'm doing that's bothering her.
But for crying out loud, looking at her? What's so bad about that?
She said I glared at her, I don't think I did but anyway, she'll get over it. It's not as though looks could kill, after all, if they could, both her and Ayane would have killed me ten times over by now… at least.
Why are girls so picky? Everything you say has to turn into an argument of some sort. It's probably why I don't speak to them much. Not since… Irene…
Hayabusa immediately switched the thought stream off. Deep down, he could barely admit to even himself that it hurt too much to think about her, let alone to somebody else. He hadn't mentioned to anybody that she had died, because he had no idea where Hayate was, and he was the only one that knew… of her, at least. After her death, he had just slipped into a slight period of depression, simply shown by being cold towards everyone else, something which had somehow made its way into his personality. He had no desire to be around people anymore, not after she was gone. It just made life seem totally different without her.
It still did, even though she had been dead for… a few months. Not something like a year, at least, but maybe the wound would have healed over if it was a year ago… all he knew was that he missed her every day, every minute of every day. She was his first love, and had loved her more then he could even possibly say.
I'm sorry that I have to go, Irene…
That's okay. I'll see you in a few days, don't worry. Why look so down?
It's just… I don't want to leave you… what if something happens?
Don't worry; I'm more then capable of looking after myself, aren't I? You're so concerned; do you think I'll stub my toe on the stove or something? I'll be fine, I promise. You silly boy, Ryu!
Will you be alright?
Of course. You have more chance of being hurt then I do. You should be worrying about yourself more then me. You be careful, Ryu. I love you heaps. I don't want to see you hurt.
…I love you too, Irene…
If only I had trusted my instincts and stayed back with her, but I didn't, because she promised that she would be alright, but if I had… she might still be alive now…
Coming home… happy that I would see her again…
Opening the door, walking into the bedroom…
Nearly stepping on a hand… what? A hand… no…!
Looking around in horror at the bits of decapitated body everywhere… who could have done this?
Thoughts immediately switching to the worst, it could have been anybody after me going through her…
Irene!
Gently kneeling on the bloodstained carpet and touching her face, her beautiful eyes wide open with horror, her mouth forming the scream she never got to utter…
No!
Hayabusa sat heavily down on a chair, eyes shut. He could have saved her, perhaps, if he had been there, but he wasn't, and now Irene was dead. There were no second chances in life. Maybe that was why some people committed suicide. They had blown their first chance, and saw no other alternative. Irene… I need you here!
He remembered the first time he had cried since he was a child, and that was years ago on one particular day, when he thought that she were dead. She certainly seemed dead. It was only by pure chance that she hadn't died that day, although he had given up hope when he had first taken in the situation.
The sword going through her back cleanly… her collapsing into my arms… I still remember that, as clear as if it was yesterday.
I felt so helpless, seeing her lying there, thinking that there was nothing I could do…
Well, there wouldn't have been. She was pretty much dead. The Dragon Sword was only a lucky chance, or at least I had one in the fact that it cured her, and she was okay… but she was pretty much dead before.
As she was when I walked into the bedroom, that night… except she was extremely dead. The Dragon Sword couldn't do a thing about a decapitated body. The bullets literally blew her apart.
The young ninja sank into the chair, eyes still closed, memories haunting him and biting at him, bringing up painful, buried emotions and hurting him deeply. If he had been slightly more alert, he might have heard the knock on the door.
Did anyone notice the chapter title I 'borrowed'? It seemed to fit, so I decided to use it. Reviews are always welcome, and thank-you again to those kind enough to do so :)