Disclaimer: See the first chapter.
A/N: It will snow again, but it's the "last snow" in another way. I'm evil, and I will get eviler. Don't kill me yet! At least not until I finish this fic, which I think is nearing its close. But I'm never sure of things like that. There will probably be one or two more chapters.
Thanks to: SakuraBubbles the Muffin Child (If he could only get a Chia pet... Then when Rainheart got a hold of scissors, it would maybe grow back faster.), Albel's Fate (Oh my god, I've been dying for Star Ocean: Till the End of Time! It looks so awesome. I played the first one, and it rocked. So when I heard about a new one, I really wanted it. I freaked out over magazine articles about it... My enthusiasm was scary. Sadly, they kept pushing the release date back, and now I'm broke, but it's out. –crosses fingers– Christmas! Oh, and I thought about what you said about Ash...and I agree. So this chapter, I... Whoops, don't want to give it away. XD), Minako (How Lilia and Rion can communicate telepathically – and how Cain and Rion can – is kind of the same idea as how Rion can communicate to Ash through dreams. It's alluded to in this chapter.), batremix (I think I know who your friend is...and she's very awesome. XD Yep, Birdman will be showing up next chapter. Ash does have a big head! And skinny little chicken legs. Also, Cain really believed what he said about himself being ugly, and it'll be explained next chapter. There's a reason why he dislikes cigarettes so much as well.), DG-sama (That'd be cool if you made fanart! Searching for Galerians fanart is one of my hobbies, but it's hard to find. Such a cool game should be more popular, I tell you.), and The-Dark's-Familiar (LOL, the "Nalc your butt" part made me laugh. I want to say that to people now. They still have their powers, but they haven't had to use them really. Next chapter, they definitely will. Oh, and this, except for the parts with Ash, take place in the real world. The Galerians were brought back to life in the same way that Rion was, only it was easier for Dorothy to accomplish than it was for Lilia to.).
Chapter Five – The First and Last Snow
Almost tripping over his own feet in his haste, Rion made his way through the playground. It was almost completely quiet, but he got the sense that someone was nearby...
Ash... Where is he?He sent glances in every direction, but he could see no one. Lost and a little confused, he halted next to the nearest thing he saw – a set of monkey bars. "Ash...?" Well, this had never happened before.
"Actually, my name is Cain."
Rion whirled around to see Cain leaning casually against the base of the bars, as if he had been there all along. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"And why is that?" Cain raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
"Because you don't like Ash."
"Heh. That's definitely true." He peered out past Rion. "Where is he, anyway?"
Rion look out in the direction Cain was, but he couldn't make out Ash through the fog –
"Aggh!" Cain screamed. "What the fuck?!"
Cain! Rion jerked his head around immediately, thinking that something that something terrible had befallen Cain. "...Ash?"
"He grabbed my ass!" Cain protested, reddening and backing away from Ash.
"Don't be ridiculous. You?" Ash scoffed. "I obviously had no such intentions."
"It didn't feel accidental to me," Cain shot back.
Clearly miffed, Ash replied, "From behind, you looked like Rion."
What...? Rion waited for Cain's reaction. He could envision it already.
"You said you didn't mean to!" Cain spat. "Liar!"
"What are your exact reasons for being here?" Ash demanded, changing the subject.
"Uh... Rion's going through a tough time, no shit. I didn't consciously project myself here."
"Pardon me for not being more informed. It's somewhat difficult when you're trapped in a digital reality."
Neither noticed Rion's sigh. I knew this was going to happen...
"Wait, you still haven't answered why you grabbed my ass!" Cain reminded Ash.
"I told you," he calmly stated in response.
"Oh, yeah, that you really meant to grab Rion's ass," Cain started to rant. "That makes me feel so much better. Rion, how can you even deal with this perver – Rion?"
Rion was walking away from both of them.
"Rion!" they called at the same time.
He didn't even look up as they caught up to him. "You guys should work a few things out."
Before Rion had a chance to react, he was gripped by his shoulder and pulled into a fierce kiss.
/Cain!/ he objected, though the urge to return the kiss was overpowering, and he couldn't get enough of Cain's taste. /Ash is right here!/
/So?/
He could feel the smirk against his lips and crossly pushed Cain away in return. "Ash..." he gasped out, trying to regain his breath while glaring at Cain. "Sorry."
Rion expected Ash to look uncomfortable, jealous, or upset but not to – grab him and kiss him?!
"Mmpf!" Rion placed his palms flat on Ash's chest, intending to shove him away, but he forgot to do just that. He had never kissed Ash in exactly this manner, tongue sliding over his, and he had to admit...he liked it.
"Hey!" Cain interrupted, causing Rion to remember and thrust Ash away from him. "Asshole, what the hell do you think you're doing?!"
Not wholly innocent, Rion took a few steps back and guiltily watched them both, sensing a fight about to begin. He opened his mouth, about to say something to break this tension, but Ash beat him to it.
"If you're going to do that here, so can I," he coolly informed Cain. "This is my territory."
So much for breaking the tension.
Cain bristled with indignation. "You can't just do whatever you want to anyone just because they're here!"
Rion stared at them blankly. When he was in school, he remembered how he would overhear some girls getting excited about boys pursuing them and fighting for them. He couldn't say that he shared their enthusiasm.
"I highly doubt that Rion minded what I did."
Cain glanced over in Rion's direction, awaiting an answer. Hopefully negative.
"Ah... Well...I..." Shit. There was too much pressure to say anything that made much sense.
"Heh. He's probably a sucky kisser."
"Excuse me?" Ash glowered. "I have difficulties believing that you could do any better."
Standing stubbornly with a hand on one hip, Cain challenged, "I have difficulties believing that you could prove it."
Rion stood absolutely still, expecting another kiss from Ash...but was taken aback when he yanked Cain by the front of his shirt and captured his mouth instead. A hand behind Cain's head prevented him from simply turning his face away. His eyes were wide-open, shock etched into every bit of his expression. Yet...after a minute, his eyes slid shut, and Rion could see him returning the kiss.
As if Rion wasn't flushed enough from recent events, observing them was quite arousing. After all, Cain and Ash were both aggressive kissers – he knew this from being on the receiving end of their affections.
Ash broke off the kiss, chuckling. "I do believe that you said I couldn't do anything to anyone here. However, I just did."
"You're such a jerk..." Cain breathlessly accused, having broken off the kiss. "I don't recall asking for that."
"There was no need for you to." Ash smirked. "You obviously wanted it, or you would never have reciprocated."
"I... I can't just not to anything!" Cain huffed.
"Ah, yes. I'm sure."
"I can't believe you did that. And right in front of Rion –"
"I didn't mind anything," Rion admitted, feeling his face heat up even further.
Ash smiled. "Perhaps we could..."
"Pervert." Cain appeared to be on the brink of twitching in annoyance. "I want to leave now."
Rion couldn't keep back some laughter, much to the surprise of Ash and Cain. "You two are..." Words failed him.
Cain began dragging him away by his arm, repeating, "Must wake up. Must wake up."
"Do visit again, Rion," Ash told them from behind. "Oh, and Cain, your presence was for once appreciated."
Cain only muttered incoherent things.
/-/
"Lilia..." Rion gently shook her. Hunched over and shivering, he edged closer to the warm blanket covering her body.
"Mmm..." Her tired eyes lit up with recognition as she saw that it was him, and a smile slowly formed. "Good morning," she mumbled sleepily. "Do you want to get in? It's so cold..."
He nodded mutely and crawled in, not caring that he was only wearing boxers and a t-shirt. Brushing some hair out her eyes with his fingertips, he whispered, "It snowed."
Instantly, she leaped out of bed, throwing the blankets aside, and crept to the window to watch the snow drift outside the glass.
It was early enough in the morning to be between dark and light. The soft breathing of Rita in the bunk above him reached his ears as she slept, and even more noticeable was the louder, grating snoring of Rainheart. Cain had woken him up in the first place, his intentions being to finally show Lilia the snow that she had daily been hoping for.
"It's beautiful," he commented. It was that hard-to-place, distant stare reflecting off the glass that drew him out of the inviting bed to wrap his arms around her waist. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, it's just nice to see this again."
Rion winced at the implications in that one statement. When he saw her standing there in just a plain white slip, he saw past the weariness, the thinning hair, the way Lilia's eyes seemed to store everything away as if it were the last time she would ever see it.
"Aren't you guys cold?" Cain asked from the doorway. He was fully dressed and appeared to be alarmed at their lack of clothing in such cold conditions.
Lilia didn't answer, but Rion could feel her shivering against his chest.
"Lilia? You shaking..."
"Okay, I'm making you wear clothes, Lilia," Cain decided, rummaging through drawers to find said items.
"I'm fine," she assured them, but she sounded relieved.
Lilia was heavy in Rion's arms as he carried her back to the bed. He helped Cain tug pants up Lilia's legs and pull a sweatshirt over the slip she was wearing. The whole time, her limbs were completely limp.
"Lilia?" Worried, he reached for her hand.
"I'm fine," she repeated, but there was a tremble in her voice. Whether it was from the cold or something else, Rion didn't know.
"God, Lilia, you're freezing," Cain whispered in the darkness.
He shifted closer to her, rearranging the blanket, and Rion followed suit. Over Lilia's head, they exchanged concerned glances. She was shuddering even more violently, despite their body heat and the added clothing.
"I'm so glad to have met you," she breathed, eyes closing.
"Lilia... You're..." Rion stammered, fear causing his stomach clench. Dread was by now choking him.
"Oh, no, I only feel tired." She gave a small laugh. "We should all get to sleep. I don't feel as cold anymore..."
Rion realized that, in fact, she had stopped shivering altogether. He sighed in relief as the stranglehold that had seized his entire body gradually subsided.
Surrounded by warmth, he felt him fade away from consciousness.
/-/
"Rion... Rion, wake up..." a voice urged. "Something's..."
Rion shivered and cracked open an eye. For some reason, a chill seeped into his bones, so unlike the warmth he had felt when first falling asleep. All he could see was blankets in the dimly lit room. It was still morning... He must not have slept very long, maybe only an hour.
"Something's wrong with Lilia..." Cain's voice came again, choked and desperate.
That was all it took. Rion was wide awake in an instant, kneeling in a sea of blankets. His fingers shakingly reached out for her frozen flesh, searching for a pulse on her wrist.
She's so cold... No, no, please –"Rion, she... She won't move. I tried waking her up, but –" He bit his lip and repeated in a small, frightened whisper, "...She won't move." His eyes were wide, gauging Rion's reaction, looking to Lilia and back to Rion again.
Rion stared into her still, calm face, thin and furnished with blue lips. Her chest wasn't moving. She wasn't breathing.
She would never breathe again.
"No, she isn't..." His eyes were stinging with the knowledge of what he had known from the moment he saw her lying there but had refused to accept.
She would never laugh again in that way only she did. Or smile at him or say his name. Or ask about the snow.
"When do you think it will snow? I want to see it..."Even she had known.
His fingernails dug into his palms as he realized numbly that his face was streaked with tears. He couldn't remember the last time he had cried.
"Rita...! Rita..." Rion heard Cain call quietly. His voice sounded muffled, or like it was an echo blocks away.
He heard them both faintly now – Cain and Rita talking – hushed, stunned. Cain had gotten Rita to wake up and come down from the top bunk. He barely registered any of it, only acknowledging them when he felt hands trying to guide him away. But he was so fixated on her face that he sat solidly unaffected, as stiff as Lilia's arm when he attempted to pick it up.
"Rion, she's...gone," Rita murmured hoarsely. "Come here."
"No," he whispered, clinging to her lifeless body. "No... Not yet. I...think we should wait..." Suddenly, he was struck by a thought and scrambled to get out of bed. "If we call the hospital –"
Rita caught him in her arms, preventing him from going any farther.
"Let me go! We've got to call –"
"Rion..."
He cringed at her pitying tone, struggling to get out of her firm grip. Past her, he saw Cain, who was watching with an enduringly stunned expression his face. He was in shock, his whole body quivering.
"Lilia's not coming back, Rion." Rita held him close, rubbing his back gently. "There's nothing we can do..."
Overwhelmed by nausea, he almost sank to the floor. "St...op... You're lying!" he shouted angrily. But as he stared up into her sympathetic eyes, he knew that she wasn't. He knew that he was one lying. He had gone from denial to acceptance and then repeated the cycle. How many times is this going to happen?
Lilia's...gone. He couldn't even bring himself to so much as think the word "dead."
It was the final blow – the one that cleanly cut his resolve to not accept this. Clawing at Rita's nightshirt, he buried his face in the fabric and sobbed brokenly.
"Oh, Rion." She cupped the back of his head and smoothed his hair. "I am so sorry."
/-/
"Rion, c'mon. You're going to be late for work..." Cain shook him, and when that didn't help any, he peeled off the covers.
Rion moaned despairingly and wrenched them back but not before catching sight of Cain completely ready for work in his corner store apron. "Go without me."
"Rita already left. Rion..."
Rion could hear him hear him licking his lips, pausing.
"It's been two weeks since..."
"I don't care," he mumbled in response.
"I don't want to go, either," Cain continued quietly, fingers creeping underneath the blankets. "I just want to stay here...but if we don't go to work, we'll starve."
"We don't eat much now as it is, except for Rainheart."
There was silence, and Rion knew that he was contemplating the facts. After the funeral especially, he had been too weak to do anything but cry and lie in bed. Even in his distress, he didn't see Ash. Their psychic connection was strong, but if he didn't want to see him, it couldn't be made possible. Ash hadn't known Lilia like he had, and he only wanted to be around people who felt her absence as he did.
He couldn't sleep, and food had lost its value to him. Rainheart, however, was the exact opposite from everyone else – he slept and ate more than usual.
It was strange how things had gotten worse for him after the funeral. But when he thought about it...maybe not so much. It was then that the finality of her death tore into him.
The sky was crowded with clouds, letting no sunlight seep through that day. He stood – they all did – by the burial site in the cemetery.
"I've never been to a cemetery before," Cain commented listlessly. "So much death...and I've never been here."
Rion started shaking uncontrollably, eyes locked onto the dirt. It was on top of her... He would never see her again... She was suffocating!
"Rion, what –?" Cain grabbed his arm as he started to collapse toward the grave. "What are you doing?"
Rion sank to his knees. "The dirt won't let her breathe."
Rita looked away, as if offering him some privacy, and ushered Rainheart closer to her.
"Rion..." Cain reached down for his hand. "Hold my hand...please."
"I...know it makes no sense, but that's how I feel." The tears were splashing in the dirt. "Holding my hand isn't going to make me any less crazy."
"For me."
Through his watery vision, Rion met Cain's eyes. They were always so telling.
He clasped his hand and didn't let go of it until they returned home.
"I know you miss her. I miss her, too! But Rion, what do you think she'd wan –"
Something came over Rion, and before he could stop himself, he tore the blankets off and sat up straight in bed, overcome with anger. "I don't even know if anyone understands! Anyone! They may not be my memories, but I still see her as a little child! You... None of you ever even cried for her!" I shouldn't have said that...
"How...dare you..." Cain snarled. "How fucking dare you! What gives you the right to judge anyone else's grief?!"
"You're the one telling me –" By now, Rion was up on his feet, curling his hands into fists.
"That's just reality!" Cain snapped. "I'm just so sorry that that doesn't fit in with your expectations! And there's a reason that I don't cry! I can't!"
Not knowing what else to say, Rion only murmured, "Really? Fuck you." It wasn't the most intelligent thing to say, but he was too pissed off to care.
"No!" Cain stepped forward and shoved him down on the bed until their faces were inches apart. "Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you! You have no idea! You got to forget all of it, while the rest of us still suffer just remembering it!"
"It's not like you're the only one who had to suffer!" Rion shouted back. "And I wish that I could remember!"
Oddly enough, Cain laughed, breathless from yelling. "Oh, really? I don't think you would. Maybe I should show you."
Rion's skin prickled. This has to stop now this has to stop now don't his brain hummed over and over again. The way Cain was smirking... Something is wrong. Their arguing had gone too far...
But it was not an apology that came out of Rion's mouth. "Go ahead."
Damn his stubbornness.
Closing his eyes, Cain placed a hand on each side of Rion's head. Rion knew what he was doing – sending him images of what he had experienced, whether they be nightmares or reality.
Or a mixture of both.
"You were crying again. Crying is a sign of weakness. It will not be tolerated."
The voice was cruel and commanding. Rion flinched. It was Dorothy's.
He was running through a door, unable to control his own feet. The door was...the one leading to Dorothy's chamber.
Screaming. So familiar. Like...
"Rainheart!" a child cried out.
Rion gasped, but no sound came out of his mouth. He saw himself as a child running to the door. So...he was trapped inside Cain's body, seeing this through Cain's eyes.
"Stop hurting him!" he watched himself scream. "Stop! Stop!"
"Rion, no! Don't!" he – Cain protested. "They're going to hurt you!"
The door slid open and shut with a whoosh. He and Cain were frozen in place.
Rainheart was face down on the floor with his hands thrown over his head. They hadn't protected him. Blood was splattered everywhere in the room, soaking his clothing, matting his hair.
"His head..." Cain choked out, tumbling to the floor. "What did you do to his head...?"
"What I did is none of your concern. It is the appropriate punishment. Do not question me!"
"That never happened to any of us! You..."
Cain's mouth dropped open at his disobedience to Dorothy. "Rion," he pleaded softly. "Rion, no..."
"He wouldn't stop!" she screamed terribly.
There was screeching metal and, horrified, Rion watched his small, childish body get torn apart. Again and again.
"Mother! Stop!" Cain flung himself over Rion's shredded body that was by now drenched in blood.
Unbearable pain –Eyes snapping open, Rion thrashed underneath Cain, like he was underwater and needed to fight for oxygen.
"Rion...are you all right?" Cain released his wrists. He had held them so tightly that they were red and sore.
Rion could tell by his face that he was regretting what he had done.
"It...hurts." He was still remembering the pain that had seized up his body.
"I'm sorry." Cain sighed and situated himself on the edge of the bed, facing toward the window. "I took it too far."
Rion's chest heaved as he dragged in gulps of air. "It's... I'm sorry, too. I never should've said that."
"I felt the pain again with you. But I think the real reason for you being like this now... Did it surprise you?"
"Yes..." Rion thought back to –
"His head... What did you do to his head...?""What happened to him?"
Cain didn't reply at first, continuing to gaze out the window.
"Cain?" His lips trembled. The answer was too frightening a prospect. Can this voice...really be my own?
"Rainheart was a normal kid before that," Cain finally spoke. "He was very emotional, but he wasn't...like he is now. He was beat so severely that his brain was damaged. In other words, he became retarded," he clarified bluntly.
"I didn't know that..." Rion murmured, trying to defeat the lump in his throat.
"It's okay. I know that you wouldn't have said that if you had known," Cain reassured him softly. "But I... I really did want to cry for her. It's enough for me to be sad inside and keep it there. As long as I know how I feel, no one else has to see."
"Cain..." He crawled over to him and wrapped his arms around his chest from behind. "Dorothy's not coming back. She has no control over you now..."
"It's not just her." He leaned against Rion and exhaled heavily as if releasing all his tensions. "It's..."
Birdman."I'm okay. I think...I'll stay home today." Catching one of Rion's hands, Cain brought it to his lips. "Isn't it funny how things work? One blink, you come into being. Two blinks, you're dead. Human life is so fleeting. As Galerians, we would stay young and have to watch her grow older and older."
"In some ways, I always felt that her soul was so much older than ours to begin with."
Lilia... Do you know how much you've done for me?