Love and Burden
by The Great Red Dragon
***
Chapter 11
***
Wind from an unknown source whipped silently along a long, metallic maze of corridors. Tall, twisting panels formed the compacted walkways through a desolate space-station, set so far in the back of the galaxy that it had been unspotted by everybody.
Low-watt, overhead light-panels spaced far apart from eachother, rendering long spaces of corridor in near darkness.
A piece of garbage, floating out-of-orbit in space. An empty husk, devoid of any signs of life.
That is...almost.
***
Somewhere close to the station's ancient, rusted hangar, a tall, narrow door creaked and hissed open horizontally. It stayed open for almost half a minute before any indication was made that the door hadn't opened spontaneously, by itself.
A face appeared but a few feet above the floor: a well-defined half-circle head, bearing a large nose and mouth, and plain white, black-pupiled eyes. Black fur lined the eyes and ears, and enclosed dark-orange fur.
The creature's large ears were up and alert, and its eyes were wide. Its enhanced vision saw further down the corridor than other could: it appeared to be clear.
The nozzle of a plasma rifle appeared. The creature cocked the weapon around the doorway and activated the laser-guided motion-scanner. The tiny digital screen showed no sign of movement.
366 stepped out into the whole doorway. Once again, he scanned it for any sign of movement: there wasn't any.
"Okay", he said under his breath, turning his head sideways to face somebody.
"It's clear."
471 stepped behind him. Her face showed more anxious concern than his. She was close to shaking, and it wasn't because of the cold.
The wind breezed against her back, sending a shiver up her spine. She stepped closer to 366, and rested a hand on his shoulder for support.
"Nago...", she said quietly, and unsurely.
366 turned his head in consent to his name. He switched hands holding the plasma rifle and rested the free one over 471's.
His Reihana's hand.
"It's okay", he replied, in a deeper voice that had been masked before.
"Let's keep moving."
The pair of them stepped over the metal footer of the doorway and into the next corridor. Nago turned around and hit the switch that shut the door, and it fell closed with a bit more cracking and grinding than it had when it had opened. Nago made sure that he properly locked it before thinking of anything else.
"Let's move", he said to Reihana, starting a hustled walk through the next passage, holding her by the hand.
Reihana kept up at a good pace, but each step she took pulsed a feeling of dread through her body.
Their ship had been damaged by another [attacked]. They had been chased down to this space station. They were being tracked [hunted] by somebody. More than one.
The hunters.
Five days before, they had lost all contact with their Experiment friends. The day before, Experiment 267 had voiced some personal concern about feeling uneasy. He felt as if somebody was approaching him. He had felt it on the back of his neck, and in the corner of his mind...
He said he was going to visit them, but that was the last they ever heard of him.
Reihana didn't want to believe it, but she knew that 267 was gone.
***
Reihana sobbed quietly, and a tear parted her eyes. Nago appeared unaware of this, as he continued to pull her down the corridor.
She didn't blame him, though. Chances were that he was aware of her every feeling, condition, and emotion...but he had to focus on keeping both of them alive. Rei saw his finger press lightly against the trigger of the plasma rifle, as if to keep himself even more alert.
They came to another door, and they played the same procedure as before. Nago made sure the area was secure before allowing Rei through the door. Once again, he double-checked that the door was sealed and digitally-locked before moving on.
They moved further and further through the space-station, noticing how the path slowly turned and circled; possibly inward, to the center of the station.
Reihana heard Nago continuously mumbling and cursing under his breath. She wondered if even he knew where he was going.
"Goddamn, stupid maze...", she heard him mutter.
"Moving too slow, much too slow...'be nice if they gave us just a hint where we are..."
He tugged at Rei's wrist impatiently.
"Come on", he hissed as she sped up a bit.
Pressure was building in her mind. This was too much for her to handle.
She closed her eyes, and tried hard to remember what it was like before.
...Indeed, it was hard to believe that less than two days ago, they had been lying in eachother's arms in a bed of comfortable fabric; allowing their love to flow freely.
Rei loved Nago because he loved her. Aside from Jumba, she had never known anybody who would go to the end of the world for her, feel her every emotion, quell her every fear, and love her like a dream.
Nago could do all of this.
He pulled back his natural arrogance for his love for Reihana. Underneath, he was a soft, understanding soul who was more than willing to share his life with his soul mate.
***
But this was not the Nago she saw before her now. Nago was trying as hard as he could to tell himself that he was in control of the situation, and not afraid. But Rei could feel his tension as well as her own, by the way he moved, by the way his sweat trickled off the tips of single hairs, and by the way he firmly held her hand; it almost hurt
***
Finally, with her wall of stress about the burst, Reihana stopped abruptly and slumped against the wall.
"Wha-?!", Nago said in surprise, as he lost his grip on her hand.
He stared at her for a moment, as if trying to figure out what was going on...then reached for her shoulder.
"Come on!", he urged hastily.
"We've got to keep moving!"
"I can't", Reihana sobbed quietly, as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Of course you can!", Nago said impatiently.
"Just stop your crying and let's move it!"
"I can't...I can't...", Rei repeated in crying tones.
"Look, dammit!", Nago said, now unmistakably angry.
"They're coming! We have to move NOW!"
"Nago!", Reihana cried back.
"I can't! I can't go!"
And then, as her strength gave way, she collapsed into a crouched heap, whimpering uncontrollably.
Nago looked down at her in frustration. In his mood he would've liked nothing better than to throw her over his shoulder and carry her out like a Neanderthal. Honestly, why in the Hell was she acting up like this?!
But then...his expression lightened.
The exasperated frown loosened from his face, and was replaced by a look of 'what-in-the-world-am-I-doing?'.
He dropped the plasma-rifle to the floor, and knelt down to his mate. As gently as he could, he enveloped her shaking body in his strong arms. He held her tenderly against his body, letting her cry herself out on his shoulder.
"Shhh...", he cooed to her, stroking her back with one hand.
"I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."
Rei sniffed and put her arms around his neck. He sobbed into Nago's neck, and sobbed even harder when she felt him press his lips against her cheek.
Nago kissed her and held her tighter. Warmer.
"I love you", he whispered into her ear.
"I'll never leave you behind."
Reihana released her grip and looked up at him. She recognized his eyes once again, and they showed all the love and care in the universe. She recognized the individual she loved, and who meant the world to her.
Nago smiled at her...but she felt that she was unable to return it.
"I'm sorry", she said quietly.
"I'm sorry I..."
Nago stopped her, his smile still in place.
"It's not your fault", he told her.
"I should never have forgotten what you meant to me...I never will again."
Reihana wiped away some of her tears with the back of her arm.
"I'm...I'm just so scared", she admitted.
"I'm afraid that...that we won't-"
Nago stopped her before she could finish the sentence.
"Reihana", he said, in a voice firmer than before.
"Whoever, or whatever they are, I swear to God that I won't let them hurt you. I will get us out of here if it's the last thing I do."
Reihana sniffed again.
"That's what I'm afraid of", she confessed.
Nago shook his head, and slowly leaned forward. Gently, passionately, his lips met hers, and he kissed her deeply.
"I'm not leaving you", he promised as they broke away.
"I'll always be with you."
Slowly, Rei smiled at him...and then nodded.
***
BANG!
Reihana and Nago's head snapped towards the door from which they had entered.
There was a gigantic dent in it. Somebody was trying to get in.
BANG!
The dent became larger.
"Shit!", Nago cursed in frustration, grabbing his weapon and pulling Rei to her feet.
"We've got to move!", he said urgently, pushing her along.
"Move, move move!"
They raced down the corridor, their new speed fueled by fear and adrenaline.
Nago threw a glance behind him as they reached the next door, and he swore that he heard the rare sound of ripping metal.
He pushed Reihana through the doorway and hit the locking mechanism. It slid shut as they continued to run.
"C'mon, Rei!", he urged.
Reihana moved as quickly as she could, anxiety flooding her body.
They had barely reached the next door, when they heard the previous being smashed open.
"How can they DO that!?!", he thought insanely to himself.
But that question didn't matter at the moment.
They were close. He was almost positive that they were approaching the hangar. His only hope was that they would find a working ship and make a getaway...it would be a miracle, in such an old space station, but it was the only chance.
Through each corridor they ran, the cold shiver on his neck became greater. It was as if he could sense their presence getting closer, even though he had no idea how far behind they were.
"Why can I feel this?", he thought to himself.
"What's going on?!"
His moment of thought cost him greatly.
In his nano-second of absence of thought, he and Rei ran through another doorway...they were halfway down the corridor when he realized that he had forgotten to lock it.
"No!", he shouted in rage and skidded to a halt.
He let go of Rei's hand, and ran back as fast as he could.
"Nago-", Reihana tried to call out.
"STAY THERE!", he shouted back, and raised his weapon.
He came closer to the door...and finally saw what was coming for them.
Rei did not see what he saw. She was not right in front of whatever it was. She had not fought to be quicker than it, and her eyes had not locked with it's...but she did see something approach the open doorway.
Nago made it there first. He reached out, and hit the lock as hard as he could.
As he did, Reihana heard the ominous sound of a weapon being fired...and it wasn't Nago's.
BWASH!
The blast it Experiment 366 with an unheard of force. He was thrown back with the force of being hit with a sledgehammer, so fast that he was unable to let go of his own weapon; his fingers had locked around it. Specks of green blood splattered the walls encasing the doorway. Before they began to slide towards the floor, Nago hit the metal floor with a thud of the unforgiving metal.
"NAGO!!!", Reihana shouted in horror.
He lay only a few feet from her, motionless.
She ran to him as fast as her legs would carry. His expression was contorted as she kneeled down next to him. Blood trickled from his nose, and flowed freely from his mouth. His chest was almost mutilated, leaving it a pallet of mangled blood, flesh and fur. One of his legs twitched uncontrollably.
Tears began to flow hysterically from her eyes. Her hands shook, unsure whether to touch him or not. Her mind wrestled to accept the fact that he was dead.
But he wasn't.
His eyes shot open. They were the only things not painted with blood.
His pupils focused unsteadily on Reihana. He tried to open his mouth, but he choked on his own blood.
"Oh God, oh God!", Reihana breathed,
"Oh no, oh no, oh no! - oh, Nago...!"
"Reihana...", Nago breathed, each syllable costing him an unbelievable amount of energy.
"Reihana...Reihana...Reihana..."
"D-don't talk", Rei said shakily, her hand fluttering over him, wondering where she could touch him without hurting him.
Nago swallowed disobediently and opened his mouth again.
"Reihana...", he said raspilly, chokingly.
"We're...we're close to the hangar...I can feel it..."
"Yes, we're almost there!", Rei said.
"I'm going to get you to a ship, and we're going to get out of here!"
"No...", Nago breather, as more blood gushed up from his mouth.
"No...no...you go...you go...leave me..."
"No!", Reihana said.
"I'm not leaving you!"
"Reihana...please..."
"NO!", she yelled, almost shrilly.
"I'm not going to leave you here to die!"
...She then noticed that there were tears in Nago's eyes...and they weren't from pain.
"Rei...", he said, his speech beginning to slur.
"Please...I want you to run away."
"No...no...", Reihana sobbed, shaking her head.
"I can't leave you here...we belong together, don't you remember?"
Nago coughed quietly as more blood decorated his lips.
"Please...give me my gun", he requested.
Reihana sobbed and cried as much as she had before, but did as she was told, and laid the grip in Nago's hand.
Nago swallowed as hard as he could, and tried to clear his mouth.
"Reihana...", he said quietly, as his mate's tears dripped into his open wound.
"Reihana...I love you."
Rei nodded quietly, and sobbed as her tears continued to stream.
Nago gathered what strength he had left, and took her hand in his.
He looked deep into her eyes, and spoke to her from his heart.
"I love you", he told her.
"I love you more than anybody in the universe, and anybody in existence. You're my life...you mean everything to me."
"So do you", Reihana said quietly through a sob.
"I'll always be with you", Nago promised her.
"And I'll always love you...no matter what, I'll always love you."
He squeezed her hand gently, and blinked as tears clouded her from him.
"Now go...", he urged one final time.
"Please...go."
Reihana nodded through her cascade of tears. Somehow, she found the strength to stand up. He held his hand as tightly as she could, but as she walked away, their grip on eachother broke.
Reihana could not even hear the banging of the door being broken open. She ran as Nago wished for her to do, all the way to the next door. She opened it, blinded by her tears, and stepped through it.
She turned and looked through it, and saw Nago lying on the ground...his head tilted back, for him to get a final glance of her.
"No matter what", he said, in a whisper that only she could hear.
"I'll always love you...always."
Just then, the door broke open. Reihana didn't see it happen...all she saw was Nago's face, asking her to live, while he died to protect her.
And she did as she was told: she closed the door and locked it; forever remembering the face of her beloved.
*********
Reihana made it to the hangar. Miraculously, she found a ship and boarded it. Without hesitation, she took off, and flew back into the infinity of space. She activated the hyper-drive, and allowed herself to be rendered unconscious by the unbridled shockwave.
In a way, she hoped that she would never wake up.
*********
PS: ...Kinda sad, in my opinion...
I'd like to add now that I've completely revised 'Before Perfection'. I've added some things [for the better], re-written some stuff, and overall improved it. Please check it out.
most extreame priness - Yes, I know Stitch's blood is pink...I just forgot it in the last chapter. Sorry.
Beboots - forgive me for disappointment, but Auron will not be having a relationship with Peka. She's already got Owen...besides, what kind of model would she be for her kids to cheat on their dad?
Okay, I hope the next chapter is up as quickly as this one...but I doubt it.
by The Great Red Dragon
***
Chapter 11
***
Wind from an unknown source whipped silently along a long, metallic maze of corridors. Tall, twisting panels formed the compacted walkways through a desolate space-station, set so far in the back of the galaxy that it had been unspotted by everybody.
Low-watt, overhead light-panels spaced far apart from eachother, rendering long spaces of corridor in near darkness.
A piece of garbage, floating out-of-orbit in space. An empty husk, devoid of any signs of life.
That is...almost.
***
Somewhere close to the station's ancient, rusted hangar, a tall, narrow door creaked and hissed open horizontally. It stayed open for almost half a minute before any indication was made that the door hadn't opened spontaneously, by itself.
A face appeared but a few feet above the floor: a well-defined half-circle head, bearing a large nose and mouth, and plain white, black-pupiled eyes. Black fur lined the eyes and ears, and enclosed dark-orange fur.
The creature's large ears were up and alert, and its eyes were wide. Its enhanced vision saw further down the corridor than other could: it appeared to be clear.
The nozzle of a plasma rifle appeared. The creature cocked the weapon around the doorway and activated the laser-guided motion-scanner. The tiny digital screen showed no sign of movement.
366 stepped out into the whole doorway. Once again, he scanned it for any sign of movement: there wasn't any.
"Okay", he said under his breath, turning his head sideways to face somebody.
"It's clear."
471 stepped behind him. Her face showed more anxious concern than his. She was close to shaking, and it wasn't because of the cold.
The wind breezed against her back, sending a shiver up her spine. She stepped closer to 366, and rested a hand on his shoulder for support.
"Nago...", she said quietly, and unsurely.
366 turned his head in consent to his name. He switched hands holding the plasma rifle and rested the free one over 471's.
His Reihana's hand.
"It's okay", he replied, in a deeper voice that had been masked before.
"Let's keep moving."
The pair of them stepped over the metal footer of the doorway and into the next corridor. Nago turned around and hit the switch that shut the door, and it fell closed with a bit more cracking and grinding than it had when it had opened. Nago made sure that he properly locked it before thinking of anything else.
"Let's move", he said to Reihana, starting a hustled walk through the next passage, holding her by the hand.
Reihana kept up at a good pace, but each step she took pulsed a feeling of dread through her body.
Their ship had been damaged by another [attacked]. They had been chased down to this space station. They were being tracked [hunted] by somebody. More than one.
The hunters.
Five days before, they had lost all contact with their Experiment friends. The day before, Experiment 267 had voiced some personal concern about feeling uneasy. He felt as if somebody was approaching him. He had felt it on the back of his neck, and in the corner of his mind...
He said he was going to visit them, but that was the last they ever heard of him.
Reihana didn't want to believe it, but she knew that 267 was gone.
***
Reihana sobbed quietly, and a tear parted her eyes. Nago appeared unaware of this, as he continued to pull her down the corridor.
She didn't blame him, though. Chances were that he was aware of her every feeling, condition, and emotion...but he had to focus on keeping both of them alive. Rei saw his finger press lightly against the trigger of the plasma rifle, as if to keep himself even more alert.
They came to another door, and they played the same procedure as before. Nago made sure the area was secure before allowing Rei through the door. Once again, he double-checked that the door was sealed and digitally-locked before moving on.
They moved further and further through the space-station, noticing how the path slowly turned and circled; possibly inward, to the center of the station.
Reihana heard Nago continuously mumbling and cursing under his breath. She wondered if even he knew where he was going.
"Goddamn, stupid maze...", she heard him mutter.
"Moving too slow, much too slow...'be nice if they gave us just a hint where we are..."
He tugged at Rei's wrist impatiently.
"Come on", he hissed as she sped up a bit.
Pressure was building in her mind. This was too much for her to handle.
She closed her eyes, and tried hard to remember what it was like before.
...Indeed, it was hard to believe that less than two days ago, they had been lying in eachother's arms in a bed of comfortable fabric; allowing their love to flow freely.
Rei loved Nago because he loved her. Aside from Jumba, she had never known anybody who would go to the end of the world for her, feel her every emotion, quell her every fear, and love her like a dream.
Nago could do all of this.
He pulled back his natural arrogance for his love for Reihana. Underneath, he was a soft, understanding soul who was more than willing to share his life with his soul mate.
***
But this was not the Nago she saw before her now. Nago was trying as hard as he could to tell himself that he was in control of the situation, and not afraid. But Rei could feel his tension as well as her own, by the way he moved, by the way his sweat trickled off the tips of single hairs, and by the way he firmly held her hand; it almost hurt
***
Finally, with her wall of stress about the burst, Reihana stopped abruptly and slumped against the wall.
"Wha-?!", Nago said in surprise, as he lost his grip on her hand.
He stared at her for a moment, as if trying to figure out what was going on...then reached for her shoulder.
"Come on!", he urged hastily.
"We've got to keep moving!"
"I can't", Reihana sobbed quietly, as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"Of course you can!", Nago said impatiently.
"Just stop your crying and let's move it!"
"I can't...I can't...", Rei repeated in crying tones.
"Look, dammit!", Nago said, now unmistakably angry.
"They're coming! We have to move NOW!"
"Nago!", Reihana cried back.
"I can't! I can't go!"
And then, as her strength gave way, she collapsed into a crouched heap, whimpering uncontrollably.
Nago looked down at her in frustration. In his mood he would've liked nothing better than to throw her over his shoulder and carry her out like a Neanderthal. Honestly, why in the Hell was she acting up like this?!
But then...his expression lightened.
The exasperated frown loosened from his face, and was replaced by a look of 'what-in-the-world-am-I-doing?'.
He dropped the plasma-rifle to the floor, and knelt down to his mate. As gently as he could, he enveloped her shaking body in his strong arms. He held her tenderly against his body, letting her cry herself out on his shoulder.
"Shhh...", he cooed to her, stroking her back with one hand.
"I'm sorry...I'm sorry..."
Rei sniffed and put her arms around his neck. He sobbed into Nago's neck, and sobbed even harder when she felt him press his lips against her cheek.
Nago kissed her and held her tighter. Warmer.
"I love you", he whispered into her ear.
"I'll never leave you behind."
Reihana released her grip and looked up at him. She recognized his eyes once again, and they showed all the love and care in the universe. She recognized the individual she loved, and who meant the world to her.
Nago smiled at her...but she felt that she was unable to return it.
"I'm sorry", she said quietly.
"I'm sorry I..."
Nago stopped her, his smile still in place.
"It's not your fault", he told her.
"I should never have forgotten what you meant to me...I never will again."
Reihana wiped away some of her tears with the back of her arm.
"I'm...I'm just so scared", she admitted.
"I'm afraid that...that we won't-"
Nago stopped her before she could finish the sentence.
"Reihana", he said, in a voice firmer than before.
"Whoever, or whatever they are, I swear to God that I won't let them hurt you. I will get us out of here if it's the last thing I do."
Reihana sniffed again.
"That's what I'm afraid of", she confessed.
Nago shook his head, and slowly leaned forward. Gently, passionately, his lips met hers, and he kissed her deeply.
"I'm not leaving you", he promised as they broke away.
"I'll always be with you."
Slowly, Rei smiled at him...and then nodded.
***
BANG!
Reihana and Nago's head snapped towards the door from which they had entered.
There was a gigantic dent in it. Somebody was trying to get in.
BANG!
The dent became larger.
"Shit!", Nago cursed in frustration, grabbing his weapon and pulling Rei to her feet.
"We've got to move!", he said urgently, pushing her along.
"Move, move move!"
They raced down the corridor, their new speed fueled by fear and adrenaline.
Nago threw a glance behind him as they reached the next door, and he swore that he heard the rare sound of ripping metal.
He pushed Reihana through the doorway and hit the locking mechanism. It slid shut as they continued to run.
"C'mon, Rei!", he urged.
Reihana moved as quickly as she could, anxiety flooding her body.
They had barely reached the next door, when they heard the previous being smashed open.
"How can they DO that!?!", he thought insanely to himself.
But that question didn't matter at the moment.
They were close. He was almost positive that they were approaching the hangar. His only hope was that they would find a working ship and make a getaway...it would be a miracle, in such an old space station, but it was the only chance.
Through each corridor they ran, the cold shiver on his neck became greater. It was as if he could sense their presence getting closer, even though he had no idea how far behind they were.
"Why can I feel this?", he thought to himself.
"What's going on?!"
His moment of thought cost him greatly.
In his nano-second of absence of thought, he and Rei ran through another doorway...they were halfway down the corridor when he realized that he had forgotten to lock it.
"No!", he shouted in rage and skidded to a halt.
He let go of Rei's hand, and ran back as fast as he could.
"Nago-", Reihana tried to call out.
"STAY THERE!", he shouted back, and raised his weapon.
He came closer to the door...and finally saw what was coming for them.
Rei did not see what he saw. She was not right in front of whatever it was. She had not fought to be quicker than it, and her eyes had not locked with it's...but she did see something approach the open doorway.
Nago made it there first. He reached out, and hit the lock as hard as he could.
As he did, Reihana heard the ominous sound of a weapon being fired...and it wasn't Nago's.
BWASH!
The blast it Experiment 366 with an unheard of force. He was thrown back with the force of being hit with a sledgehammer, so fast that he was unable to let go of his own weapon; his fingers had locked around it. Specks of green blood splattered the walls encasing the doorway. Before they began to slide towards the floor, Nago hit the metal floor with a thud of the unforgiving metal.
"NAGO!!!", Reihana shouted in horror.
He lay only a few feet from her, motionless.
She ran to him as fast as her legs would carry. His expression was contorted as she kneeled down next to him. Blood trickled from his nose, and flowed freely from his mouth. His chest was almost mutilated, leaving it a pallet of mangled blood, flesh and fur. One of his legs twitched uncontrollably.
Tears began to flow hysterically from her eyes. Her hands shook, unsure whether to touch him or not. Her mind wrestled to accept the fact that he was dead.
But he wasn't.
His eyes shot open. They were the only things not painted with blood.
His pupils focused unsteadily on Reihana. He tried to open his mouth, but he choked on his own blood.
"Oh God, oh God!", Reihana breathed,
"Oh no, oh no, oh no! - oh, Nago...!"
"Reihana...", Nago breathed, each syllable costing him an unbelievable amount of energy.
"Reihana...Reihana...Reihana..."
"D-don't talk", Rei said shakily, her hand fluttering over him, wondering where she could touch him without hurting him.
Nago swallowed disobediently and opened his mouth again.
"Reihana...", he said raspilly, chokingly.
"We're...we're close to the hangar...I can feel it..."
"Yes, we're almost there!", Rei said.
"I'm going to get you to a ship, and we're going to get out of here!"
"No...", Nago breather, as more blood gushed up from his mouth.
"No...no...you go...you go...leave me..."
"No!", Reihana said.
"I'm not leaving you!"
"Reihana...please..."
"NO!", she yelled, almost shrilly.
"I'm not going to leave you here to die!"
...She then noticed that there were tears in Nago's eyes...and they weren't from pain.
"Rei...", he said, his speech beginning to slur.
"Please...I want you to run away."
"No...no...", Reihana sobbed, shaking her head.
"I can't leave you here...we belong together, don't you remember?"
Nago coughed quietly as more blood decorated his lips.
"Please...give me my gun", he requested.
Reihana sobbed and cried as much as she had before, but did as she was told, and laid the grip in Nago's hand.
Nago swallowed as hard as he could, and tried to clear his mouth.
"Reihana...", he said quietly, as his mate's tears dripped into his open wound.
"Reihana...I love you."
Rei nodded quietly, and sobbed as her tears continued to stream.
Nago gathered what strength he had left, and took her hand in his.
He looked deep into her eyes, and spoke to her from his heart.
"I love you", he told her.
"I love you more than anybody in the universe, and anybody in existence. You're my life...you mean everything to me."
"So do you", Reihana said quietly through a sob.
"I'll always be with you", Nago promised her.
"And I'll always love you...no matter what, I'll always love you."
He squeezed her hand gently, and blinked as tears clouded her from him.
"Now go...", he urged one final time.
"Please...go."
Reihana nodded through her cascade of tears. Somehow, she found the strength to stand up. He held his hand as tightly as she could, but as she walked away, their grip on eachother broke.
Reihana could not even hear the banging of the door being broken open. She ran as Nago wished for her to do, all the way to the next door. She opened it, blinded by her tears, and stepped through it.
She turned and looked through it, and saw Nago lying on the ground...his head tilted back, for him to get a final glance of her.
"No matter what", he said, in a whisper that only she could hear.
"I'll always love you...always."
Just then, the door broke open. Reihana didn't see it happen...all she saw was Nago's face, asking her to live, while he died to protect her.
And she did as she was told: she closed the door and locked it; forever remembering the face of her beloved.
*********
Reihana made it to the hangar. Miraculously, she found a ship and boarded it. Without hesitation, she took off, and flew back into the infinity of space. She activated the hyper-drive, and allowed herself to be rendered unconscious by the unbridled shockwave.
In a way, she hoped that she would never wake up.
*********
PS: ...Kinda sad, in my opinion...
I'd like to add now that I've completely revised 'Before Perfection'. I've added some things [for the better], re-written some stuff, and overall improved it. Please check it out.
most extreame priness - Yes, I know Stitch's blood is pink...I just forgot it in the last chapter. Sorry.
Beboots - forgive me for disappointment, but Auron will not be having a relationship with Peka. She's already got Owen...besides, what kind of model would she be for her kids to cheat on their dad?
Okay, I hope the next chapter is up as quickly as this one...but I doubt it.