Lest Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot.
Ah well, a little bit to wrap everything up. Aww. :( But well, it might not be all! ;)
Disclaimer: do we really have to? I give up! I don't own Square, Kingdom Hearts, or the characters therein. I do have the game, if that helps?!
Chapter 9: Epilogue.
The melody of a solitary blackbird filtered down through the branches to the pair below. A chilled wind whipped blonde and brunette locks about the faces of the wearers; each narrowing their eyes as its bitter touch grazed their cheeks. The lowly tombstone before them offered little respite to the elements.
The years had taken their toll on the weathered stone in front of them. Faint cracks ran from one edge to the other, the occasional chip having fallen away. Despite the wear and tear endured, someone still maintained the homes of the departed. The graves wore their bouquets proudly, boasting their colours in competition alongside the next.
"So many died…" the blonde looked out over the sea of graves. His brunette companion rammed his fists in his back pockets, studying the simple inscription before him. True, many had lost their lives on that fateful day, but the final resting-place of them mattered little to him. He knew no one here.
After a short while, he spoke up again. "Maybe we could look for…"
Leon cut him up abruptly. "She won't be here. Hollow Bastion law stated 'No body; no burial,' which was a good thing where you're concerned."
Cloud buried his head and sighed into the neck of his cape. "Do you know where they found her?"
His reply was given after a lengthy deliberation.
"Yes."
Golden eyebrows raised up his forehead, knowing all to well that Leon was going to tell him something he wouldn't like. "Where?" he growled when the brunette obviously chewed his bottom lip to bite his tongue. "By whom?"
"The group I was in. We headed back here after Hollow Bastion was declared free from the heartless." He avoided Cloud's glare as he deliberated telling him the awful truth. Sighing, he finally answered. "She was in her room…"
A metallic hand snapped out to grasp the jacket of the other. "And you mean to tell me she didn't have to end up here? That we could have saved her?"
"There was nothing we could have done. She died from smoke inhalation. The fire had been raging for over an hour before we got there. The heartless attacked a short time after we left. The fire didn't touch her room, just the smoke."
Cloud loosened his grip on his jacket, letting his feet land firmly back on the floor. Leon noticed an unusual look in the cerulean blue before him. An emotion that was either unreadable or one that he couldn't understand. Turning away, he faced the final resting-place of his late mother.
His knees buckled and left him kneeling on the sodden earth. Leaning back on his heels, the water seeped into his trousers whilst the backs of his hands gently rested in the dew sparkled grass. The cold ate away at his legs, but he did not feel it. Little else mattered. His mind was now at rest. He had found her: his guiding light.
……
Once lit, forever burning. Sadly departed, never forgotten.
……
Aw well. Short but sweet. That's the end for this one! But do not fear, I have a sequel all lined up! Shall start on it soon, but don't expect it to be up in the next month or so. Keep checking back and I should have something up! Let me get on top of planning and then I will post! Hope you liked, and cheers for all the reviews! Yay!