Smoke and Mirrors
Prologue – Part 5
Two years; it had been two years now since that stormy night. Maria lay in the bed of that room at the Deling hotel reminiscing of that night. He was so nervous, so timid; afraid that he was going to do something wrong or even hurt her in some kind of way, but she had never felt more alive than she did before that night, and it was all because of him. She had to admit, the whole act of it was awkward their first time. "But," she thought as a smile crept onto her face, "we've had lots of 'practice' since then." Like they say, 'practice makes perfect'. And she let out a low, sultry purr as she thought about the things he could do to her now.
They had made the decision to let the others know they were 'together' a couple of days later. Jun didn't seem the least bit surprised when they told him; acting as if he already knew with a knowing smile on his face. How he knew before they told him was beyond Maria. The man just had a strange way of knowing things like that. Annet was thrilled; flashing each of them a smile in such a way as to say 'it's about time'. Richter, clueless as he always was, was floored by the news, but was happy for them nonetheless.
Maria let her thoughts wonder as her gaze moved slowly across the floor of that hotel room. They were in Deling that day getting supplies for Jun like they've been doing once every couple of weeks for that last year and a half. Jun had started making Adrian go and get the supplies for him, reasoning that he was too old for all that travel now, and the boy needed to see more of the world outside of Winhill. Maria found any excuse she could to go with Adrian on these trips; excuses ranging from 'wanting to go shopping at the big city stores' to just 'wanting to see the big city'. Richter and Annet had half-heartedly objected to her going with Adrian alone; knowing full well what young people in love were capable of doing when left by themselves, especially when the trips took so long that they had to stay a night or two in the city. But Jun waved off their concern, telling them that Adrian was a responsible person and that Maria was an adult now and could do as she pleased.
"If they only knew…" she idly thought as her gaze continued to travel across the floor, going from the door and tracing the articles of clothing that lay scattered across the floor all the way to the bed. Her gaze lifted from the floor to the walls surrounding the room, noting the wall hangings and the light fixtures. Then she saw something peculiar, and blinked a few times. "Talk about 'in the heat of passion'," she thought. "How did my panties get up there?"
She felt the warm body that shared the bed with her stir then, and a strong arm encircled her from behind. A low, soft groan sounded next to her ear, and the warm breath that blew across it made her spine tingle with delight as she snuggled back into him.
"Morning." Maria greeted.
"Morning." came Adrian's groggy reply.
"Sleep well?"
Adrian's arm tightened around her as he answered in between the kisses he gave the back of her neck. "How could I not? You've got a talent for wearing me out."
Maria giggled and snuggled closer. They both lay there for a few moments before Maria broke the silence.
"Hey. You think the others know what we do on these trips?"
Adrian shrugged. "Who knows? I'm pretty sure Jun does." She could feel his lips pull into a smile against her neck. "Nothing gets past the old coot's ears. And with the way you were carrying on the other night, I'm sure he and the neighbors heard."
Maria jabbed him playfully with her elbow. "Don't flatter yourself."
Adrian lightly chuckled. "As for Richter and Annet, is it really any of their business? We don't go asking them about their sex life."
"True." Maria said as her hand interlocked fingers with his hand that was lightly tracing circles on her stomach. "Annet might know with the way you carry on sometimes. Richter though, I doubt he could hear a dump truck crashing through a nitro glycerin plant when he's asleep."
Adrian's only response was his trail of kisses going from the back of her neck to her shoulder. Maria finally twisted her body around to face him and pulled him into a deep kiss, breaking it moments later as her hand swept away the hair that feel across his face.
A half grin drew on her lips. "You know what? I think this is going to be one of those two day trips."
Adrian's eyebrow quirked as the same kind of grin grew on his face. "And why is that?"
Maria only shrugged as she continued to grin. "Just because."
Adrian closed his eyes as the fingers of his hand drew lazy circles on the lower part of her back. "Sounds good to me."
"Good." She drew his arm from around her as she rolled over and sat up. "I'm going to get a shower."
She heard him let out a low, deep purr. "Need some company?" he asked.
She bent over to kiss his forehead. "No thanks. I want to actually finish this shower."
She laughed as he pouted and gave him a quick peck on the lips before she got out of the bed and made her way to the bathroom. Adrian lay there and admired her naked backside until she disappeared into the bathroom. Rolling over he rested the back of his head in his hands and let his gaze slowly circle the room. He stopped and blinked as he saw something quite peculiar.
"Now how did her panties get up there?"
Annet sat in the front yard of her home as she watched Richter work on the motorcycle he had 'taken as a souvenir' from one of the Galbadian military bases when he retired. Richter loved that motorcycle, often referring to it as 'his baby'. Annet wouldn't admit it, but sometimes she felt jealous of the thing.
Feeling a little ignored she decided to start up a conversation.
"I wonder what Maria and Adrian are doing now."
Richter only shrugged as he reached for a wrench behind him. "Who knows? Doing whatever teenagers do I guess."
Annet sat there and thought for a moment. "They spend an awful lot of time up there by themselves… You don't think they…?"
Richer blinked. "You don't think they what?"
"You don't think they…you know?"
A light chuckle was heard from the other side of the motorcycle and Richter looked back. "What are you laughing at old man?"
Jun's head popped up from behind the motorcycle; smudges of motor oil and grease spotting his face. "I don't think my dear. I know."
Annet's eyes grew wide, and Richter continued to blink in confusion.
"What the hell are you two talking about?" Richter asked.
Jun let out an exasperated sigh. "You really are a numbskull aren't you Belmont? What do you think two teenagers who are in love and by themselves in a big city are going to do?"
Richter blinked. "I don't know. Go to a club? Party? Watch a movie? Go to a coffee shop and drink a cappuccino while listening to some weird goth poetry?"
Jun's hand found itself slapping his forehead as he groaned and nodded sadly. Annet crept over to Richter and put her hand over her mouth as she whispered what Jun and her were talking about into his ear. Richter's eyes went wide as he dropped his wrench.
"WHAAAT?"
Jun wiped his face off with a rag and studied the two. "You two seriously didn't know there were doing that?"
Annet's eyes were still wide, and her face was started to turn pink. "Well, no, not really. I thought they would…Hyne, I don't know…"
Jun stuffed the rag into his pocket and crossed his arms. "Geez, you two really are dense. Those two have been going at it like rabbits for a while now. In fact I suspect its been going on since I caught them making out in that field during the storm."
Richter was still on the ground, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. "That long? How do you know?"
Jun grinned. "My ears hear all my friend."
Richter was making incoherent noises now, and Annet looked like she was about to faint.
"Ar-aren't they a little…young for that?" she asked.
Jun put his hands on his hips and gave the two a look through squinted eyes. "No younger than two people I know that went and eloped against their parent's wishes."
This shut Richter up for a few seconds, and made Annet turn even redder.
"We-well, I was in the military and about to go to war. That's different!" Richter said.
Jun waved a hand to calm the two. "Bah! You two are making a mountain out of a molehill. There's nothing wrong with them doing that. They're in love, let them be."
Annet was biting on her fingernail now. "Well, I guess it really isn't any of our business… They were going to eventually if they hadn't already…"
Richter slowly nodded. "Yeah, I guess. As long as they show some responsibility…"
Jun nodded. "Don't worry about them. I'm sure they take every precaution necessary." And with that Jun ducked back down and started working on the motorcycle again, letting out a little chuckle as he did so.
"What's so funny now old man?" Richter asked.
"Oh, nothing really. Just remembering the way Maria was carrying on the other night. Adrian must be quite 'skilled'." Jun let a toothy grin pop up on his face as he heard Richter drop his wrench again and what sounded like Annet finally fainting and falling over.
It felt like someone was cutting Adrian's skull open with a dull, rusty knife. The loud music, the bright flashing lights, the thick fog of cigarette smoke; it all played hell on his heightened senses and was giving him the worst headache. But he would endure it because Maria loved this club, and would insist on dragging him there every time they went to Deling. He watched as she danced along to the loud techno music, getting lost in the beats and rhythms and letting them dictate how her body moved. He would've enjoyed it he thought, as her body pressed against his, moving and grinding together to the music the DJ was playing. The one hundred and something other people out there on the dance floor seemed to enjoy it, but the blasted headache wouldn't let him. It had gotten so bad that his vision was starting to get blurry, and he felt like he would vomit at any minute.
After about the tenth song Maria noticed his predicament. He was a lot paler and usual, and looked like he was going to be sick.
"Hey! You alright?" she screamed over the loud music.
All Adrian could do was shake his head no and point to the door. Maria nodded and followed him out.
Outside Adrian leaned against the wall of the club, letting the cold temperature of the bricks seep into his ailing body and try to sooth the growing feeling of nausea. He closed his eyes and massaged his temples trying to calm the headache that now felt as if a T-Rexaur was stomping on his head. Maria walked up too him with a look of concern on her face, and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Got sick again?"
Adrian nodded slowly as he took a few deep breaths. "This wouldn't be so bad if they didn't have to play the music so loud and have all of those flashing lights."
She laughed. "But that's what makes a club a club. It wouldn't be fun without that."
Adrian groaned. The cool night air was making him feel better, and the headache was starting to die down. "Fun for normal people maybe…"
Maria watched him slide down the wall to sit on the ground. His fingers were still massaging his temples as he finally opened his eyes.
"Don't they have a club that plays normal volume music with no strobe lights and doesn't smell like a bathroom?" he asked.
She sighed as she sat down next to him. "You're no fun."
He sent her a sideways glance as she put her arm around his shoulders and smiled.
"But I love you anyway."
He turned his gaze back across the street. "Thanks…I think."
She chuckled as she put her head on his shoulder. "You know I'm kidding you."
One of his hands took hers as his other continued to rub as his temple. The headache had dulled down to an annoying buzz now.
"So, want to do anything else? The night is still young." She asked.
"Let's go for a walk. I need the fresh air."
"Okay."
Hand in hand they walked down the streets of Deling, taking in the sights and browsing though shop windows. They had managed to ignore most of the street vendors trying to sell their merchandise to them, all except for the ice cream vendor. She flashed him the 'puppy dog eyes' and he sighed to himself as he reached for his wallet. "I'm so whipped…"
She got her ice cream cone and they continued walking as she noticed him giving her a weird look.
"What?" she asked.
"That guy had fifty flavors. And you order vanilla."
"What's wrong with vanilla?"
"Seems kind of…plain."
She had a look of mock hurt on her face. "Oh. So now you're saying I'm plain."
Adrian knew what she was doing and simply rolled his eyes.
She started sniffling, trying to keep the smile off her face. "You don't love me anymore."
Adrian said nothing as they continued walking.
She sniffled some more. "Fine then. I'll just go back to that club and find myself another guy."
Adrian turned around, grabbed her by her hips, and pulled her forward against him.
"You're not going anywhere." He said in a low, lusty growl into her ear.
Maria continued to eat her ice cream as she tried her best to ignore the kisses on her neck. She started giggling as the kisses got higher and started tickling her. And she nearly dropped her cone when he took her ear lobe in between his lips..
"Stop it. We're out in public."
"So?" he breathed into her ear.
"So? What if someone walks by?"
"Then they can watch."
She laughed and pushed him away. "You've been around Jun too long you perv."
He pulled her back against him. "You're calling me a perv? I can remember quite a few suggestions you've made that would blow anything Jun could come up with out of the water."
She held her nose up. "Oh really? I didn't hear you complaining."
He started in on the other side of her neck now. "Because I'm not dumb enough too."
She tilted her head to the side to give him better access. "You better stop. My ice cream is gonna melt and I'll make you buy me another."
"Hyne forbid." He stopped and they resumed their walk. After a few minutes they reached the Deling Park and found a bench in front of a water fountain where they sat down. Maria leaned against Adrian as his arm wrapped around her shoulders.
Maria stared at the fountain as she started talking. "Hey Adrian, you ever think about the future?"
"Sure."
"What do you imagine in you're future?"
Adrian took a few moments to reply. "You, me, a two story house out in the country with a white picket fence, and 2.5 children."
Maria's eyes went wide as she looked up at him. "Are you serious?"
Adrian started laughing. "No. I'm not saying it wouldn't be nice though. I don't really know what I want in the future." He pulled her closer and rested his head on top of hers. "All I know is that I want you in it."
Maria snuggled up and drew her arms around him. Adrian looked down and asked her the same question.
"What do you imagine in your future?"
Maria gazed at the fountain as she idly played with a lock of his hair. "Besides having you in it, I don't really know. But…"
"But?"
She looked up at him and smiled. "But…I've always wanted a little girl…"
Adrian was quiet for a few moments. "She wants children… That must mean…" He smiled and fingered the small velvet box in his pocket. "Tomorrow, by that tree where we had our first kiss. I'll…"
Maria interrupted his thoughts. "Hey. You got quiet all of a sudden…"
"Huh?"
She looked down. "You…don't want children?"
"I didn't say that."
"Then…what are you saying?"
Adrian sighed. This would take a delicate answer. "I'm saying…that if I'm going to be a father…I'd want you to be the mother."
She looked up as her eyes softened and smiled. He smiled back as he drew her into a kiss. "Damn, that was close."
As the kiss broke Maria sat back and stifled a yawn. "We have to leave early tomorrow, we should get back to our room."
Adrian nodded and helped her up. They walked hand in hand again down the street back to the hotel. Maria hooked her arm into his and laid her head on his shoulder, thinking to herself. "Tomorrow, I'll tell him tomorrow." She gently rubbed her stomach, thinking about the new little life that was growing inside of her.
Annet sat in bed reading the book that Maria had bought her on her last trip to Deling. She thumbed through a few pages as Richter walked into the bedroom, combing and drying his hair from the shower he took. Annet glanced up briefly at him as he joined her in the bed, continuing to skim through the pages as she talked.
"Looks like they made it a two day trip. Wonder what they're doing."
Richter lay back, sticking his right hand under his head. "Believe me. After today's revelation, I'm trying not to think about it."
Annet lightly chuckled. "Well, you have to admit, now that you think about it, it was pretty stupid of us to assume they weren't doing anything like that."
"Yeah, guess you're right." Richter sighed as he closed his eyes. "Young love…" He cracked open one eye and looked at Annet with a grin. "I remember what that was like."
Annet scoffed. "You speak as if we're old now."
Richter shrugged. "We're not young anymore."
Annet placed the book on the nightstand as she took her glasses off. "Well you, Richter Belmont, may be going over the hill. But I assure you, I've just barely started to climb it."
"Hah! Says you." Richter turned toward her and propped his head up on his fist. "I saw you rubbing your back and groaning the other day. Those old bones of yours telling you its gonna rain?"
She playfully punched him in the shoulder. "I'll remember that when I'm picking out which rest home to put you in."
"Ouch." Richter drew his arm around her and laid his head down on his pillow. "Just as long as you're there too so I can chase you around in my walker."
Annet rolled her eyes as she turned off the lamp and snuggled close to him. "Whatever. Good night."
"Good night."
Richter broke the silence after a few moments. "You know, they have motorized beds. That'd save us half the work."
Annet pinched his arm. "Go to sleep you old pervert."
……….
In the kitchen, a mouse was making its nightly journey across the counter top. Its ears twitched as it heard a strange sound. After it looked around for a few moments it went back to searching for food crumbs, ignoring the slight hissing sound that was coming from the stove.
A girlish giggle could be heard coming form the bathroom of the hotel room.
"Quit it. That tickles."
Maria was trying to rinse the soap from her body. Trying a failing because Adrian's hands kept interrupting her.
Adrian rested his chin on her shoulder from behind and spoke in a low, lusty tone into her ear as his hand crept lower. "Does this tickle?"
"Ack!" Maria spun around with wide eyes, and then narrowed them as she smirked. "You dirty, dirty boy."
Adrian pouted. "I've been bad."
"Mmm-hmm." Maria's arms snaked around the back of his neck, keeping her voice low and sultry. "You need to be spanked."
Adrian could barely keep the smile off his face as he made his bottom lip tremble. "I'll be good. I promise."
"Don't you dare." Maria purred as she captured his lips with hers, gnawing on his lower lip and letting out a growl. Adrian's hands were on her hips, holding her body close to his as his fingers massaged the flesh on her thighs. He turned and pinned her against the shower's wall as he switched his attention to her neck and collarbone, leaving a trail of kisses as his hands began to move again. One moving up slowly toward her breast as the other moved slowly down...
"Oh…Hyne." She breathed. One of her hands buried its fingers in his wet hair, grabbing hold and tugging at it gently, while her other hand slowly made its way down his back, tracing along his spine and muscles. She felt his body stiffen as he let a husky growl into her ear, and started kissing at the sensitive skin behind her ear, making her lightheaded.
"Le-lets get out of here." she whispered, almost too low to be heard over the sound of the running shower.
"Bed?" Adrian asked in a whisper.
Maria drew in a sharp breath as she closed her eyes and her head fall back against the wall. "Hyne those hands are...oh..." "Ye-yeah."
They broke apart long enough to get out of the shower, drying each other off slowly with the think white towels as lips met and tongues danced. The towels dropped carelessly to the floor as she took his hand and led him out of the bathroom to the bed. She turned to him as they reached the bed, grabbing him and falling backwards, causing him to fall down on top of her as their lips met again. Hands explored for a few moments before Maria's legs locked themselves around his waist and her fingernail dug into his shoulders as they started their lovemaking.
……….
Adrian had his head hung low and eyes closed, trying to catch his breath and slow his heartbeat, hands pressed into the bed on either side of Maria supporting his weight. Looking up through white banes he stared at the woman below him; golden hair spread out across the bed, eyes were closed, lips were parted from rapid breathing, face was a light shade of pink, and arms were spread out with hands clutching at the bed sheets. He couldn't take his eyes off of her as light from the moon peeked from behind the clouds and flowed through the window, making her golden blond hair light up and the porcelain skin of her face glow. She opened her eyes then, and the way her crystal blue eyes reflected the moonlight took his breath away.
She looked up at him as her hand slowly traced its way up his arm to his face. Her brow creased a little and the side of her mouth quirked up in a half grin.
"What?"
Adrian blinked, coming out of his daze. "Huh?"
"Why are you looking at me so weird?"
Adrian grinned and he looked at her with soft eyes. "Sorry. I was just…mesmerized."
One of Maria's eyebrows quirked up as she gave him a smile. "Mesmerized? By what?"
Adrian's hand came up to caress the side of her face. "You." His gaze slowly lowered, noting how the rest of her body was glowing in the moonlight, then slowly looked back to her eyes. "You're beautiful."
Maria's eyes seemed to twinkle as her other hand came up to his face and slowly pulled him down. "You certainly know how to lay it on thick don't you?"
Adrian chuckled as he was pulled down. The hand that was caressing her face went behind her head, cradling it as his other hand moved to caress the other side of her face.
"Maybe. But I know you love it." He whispered.
She met his lips briefly as the fingers of one hand ran through his hair and her legs unlooked from around his waist, sliding down and intertwining with his own.
"Guilty as charged." She murmured.
They lay like that for what seemed like ages, both simply holding each other as they regained enough strength to get under the covers. Maria's arm draped across him as her head lay on his chest, lulled to sleep by the steady sound of his beating heart. Adrian lay there staring out the window at the moon as his fingers slowly brushed through her hair.
"A full moon…" he thought to himself as his eyes closed and sleep took hold.
The man walked down the streets of Winhill that morning like he did every morning. He loved this time of day. The people were out and about, getting everything prepared for their daily rituals. The tiny little town actually looked busy at this time of day.
The man had a purpose this morning other than just taking a leisurely stroll though. There had been reports of monster sighting on the outskirts of town for the last couple of days, so a small group of citizens had decided to go and do some monster hunting before the situation got out of hand. That was why the man found himself at the Belmont's front door this morning. If they were going monster hunting, they'd need the best monster hunter in town.
The man knocked on the front door for a few minutes without getting any response from inside. He even tried yelling out, but there was still no answer.
"The hell?" the man thought. "Its almost noon… You'd think they'd be up by now…" The man knocked a few more times, and there was still nothing but silence.
Feeling that he knocked and yelled loud enough to wake the dead, the man just shrugged and went back to his morning walk.
"Guess they aren't there."
The man hadn't made it that far down the road before he stopped. A chill ran up his spine and the little hairs on the back of his neck stood up. It was one of those feelings you get right before something bad happens.
He turned around…just in time.
Maria held on tight to Adrian as they sped through the after-noon air on their way back to Winhill on his motorcycle. Richter had found the thing in a junkyard somewhere in Timber and rebuilt it to give to Adrian on his sixteenth birthday. Most people thought the vehicle was beyond hope, but Richter, given his reputation for being quite clueless, was a mechanical genius. The thing operated as if it just came off the production line, finished and ready to sell that day. However, this motorcycle had nothing on Richter's 'baby'.
Maria let her head rest on Adrian's back as she looked out among the fields. Watching as the scenery whizzed by. She tried to fight back the combination of excitement and nervousness that was building up inside of her. "Today's the day." She thought to herself. "Today's the day I tell him. I wonder how he'll react. Will he be happy? He said he'd like to be a father…right? What if he wanted to wait until later? Oh man…" Her eyes closed as she tightened her grip.
Adrian's thoughts were running along the same lines as he felt Maria's arms tighten around him. "Oh man… Today's the day. Today's the day I'm gonna ask her. Wonder what her reaction will be when I drop down to one knee and pull out this ring. We love each other. We've been together for two years. Hell, longer than that considering that we practically grew up together." He fought against the nervousness that was making his stomach do flips and sighed. "This day can't get over with fast enough…"
They were close now; Winhill was just over the horizon. Adrian took a few deep breaths to calm himself as they sped down the dusty road, climbing last hill as the village came into view. Adrian looked up and squinted his eyes as he saw something strange. "What the hell?" Easing off the throttle he let the bike slow down some before putting on the break and coming to a stop. Maria looked over his shoulder as she lifted the visor on her helmet.
"What's up?"
"That." He pointed toward the village as he lifted up his own helmet's visor. "Is that…smoke?"
Maria squinted her eyes. "Yeah… Looks like something big is on fire."
They were both silent for a few moments, wondering what could be causing that much smoke. And a dreadful feeling started welling up in the pit of Adrian's stomach.
"We better go and check it out." Adrian said as he lowered his visor along with Maria, revved the motor, and took off toward the village.
Adrian would never forget the horrific sight that stood before him, not until he was dead and buried.
He had noted the look of panic on the villager's faces as he weaved his way though the town. They were all running in the same directing, screaming and shouting at each other. It didn't take much for him to realize something had happened. Something bad.
But this…
"Oh Hyne…"
Before him stood Maria's house, or what was left of it, engulfed in the biggest fire he had ever seen. It seemed that all of the townsfolk had gathered to watch, each wearing the same look of numb shock on their faces as he was. The town's only fire engine was there, along with what seemed like half of the town's citizens forming a bucket brigade, trying to put out the fire that seemed to ignore them and only grew bigger despite their efforts. He felt the motorcycle under him shift and saw a helmet fly to the side and onto the ground before he realized what was happening, and when he did he took off, trying to catch Maria.
Maria ran into the crowd looking everywhere she could for Annet and Richter; asking the people gathered there if they had saw them, each person she asked had answered no. She continued her frantic search for what seemed like an eternity, but there was no sign of them in the crowd, and no one had seen them at all that day. Grim realization finally sat in, and she bolted towards the burning house.
Adrian finally caught up to her and tried to hold the frantic woman back.
"What are you doing!"
"They're still in there!" she screamed.
"Wha-?"
Maria spun around, and the look of fear and panic in her eyes made Adrian's heart drop to his stomach.
"Annet and Richter are still in there! I couldn't find them anywhere out here! No one has seen them! They're inside the house!"
Adrian grabbed hold of her as she turned back around and tried to run toward the house.
"You can't go in there! The house is almost completely destroyed! If they're still in there then…"
"No! They may still be alive! We have to get them out!"
"Maria! You can't…"
"Let me go!" Maria shouted as she broke free of Adrian's hold, shoving him hard enough to make him stumble back and fall down. She looked for any way she could to get in, but all routes seemed to be blocked by fire or debris, all except for the garage.
Adrian picked himself up off the ground in time to see Maria running toward the garage and took off after her to stop her. He was halfway there when something made him stop in his tracks.
Dark powers rose to the surface, warning him of danger. His now more heightened sense of hearing detected a faint hissing sound. Eyes became blood red; strengthen his vision, piercing through fire and smoke, trying to confirm the warning. That was when he saw it…
The acetylene tank to Richter's torch; it was inside the garage. The hissing sound was coming from the tank, getting louder and shriller by the second.
And Maria was so close to it…
"MARIA!"
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Adrian ran as fast and hard as his inhuman speed would allow. He tried yelling out to her to warn her. Tried to make it there in time to knock her out of the way. He was almost there; he was so close. Just a few more feet…
……….
The next thing Adrian knew was that he was laying on his back. Eyes blinded by the bright flash of the explosion and ears almost too deaf from the thunderous sound of it to hear the screams of the townspeople around him.
He rolled over, trying by the sheer force of will to make his eyes re-focus. The blurry image of the now destroyed garage came into view, slowly getting clearer as he tried to force himself up. Pain shot through his left arm like fire, forcing him to the ground once more. He looked over, noticing for the first time the piece of shrapnel that had imbedded itself into his arm. Gritting his teeth, he took hold of it and yanked it out, yelling as its jagged edges ripped flesh even more, and tossed it to the side.
He got back to his feet shakily. The townspeople gathered there were running everywhere, screaming and shouting. Some were dragging others that got caught in the explosion away, trying to get them to safety. He looked to the bodies of those injured, the smell of burnt flesh and blood making him sick. He turned back toward the house, eyes scanning the area franticly, but not finding what he was looking for. Maria was nowhere to be seen.
"No…"
With his right hand holding the wound on his left arm he ran back toward what was left of the garage. Panic filled him as he searched. Still, Maria was nowhere in sight.
"No."
Finally, he smelt something familiar. He would remember that scent anywhere. The times they played together as kids and she fell and scraped her knee or elbow. The times she got cuts and scrapes in sparing practice with Jun. He remembered that sent, and it almost made his heart stop.
It was the scent of Maria's blood.
"No!"
He followed the scent, letting it lead him through the think haze of the black smoke, tripping and stumbling over the debris the explosion had thrown out as he went. The scent was getting stronger now, causing him to run faster as he got closer. He continued to follow the trail, hoping against hope and trying to kill any bad thoughts of what he would find as soon as it came to his mind. It was so far away; had the explosion thrown her this far back?
He spotted something on the ground not too far away and ran towards it. It was a body, lying face down on the ground. The first thing he noticed about the body was the blonde hair. The second thing was the large, gaping wound in the side of her abdomen, and the blood that was flowing from it.
"NO!"Adrian dropped down to his knees at Maria's side, turning her over gently and holding her up in his arms. The grim reality of her condition hit him like a ton of bricks. There were cuts and burns all over her body. The wound in her side looked like something had clawed away the flesh. And she was bleeding so badly.
He yelled for help as he held her limp body, trying to make himself loud enough to be heard over the screams of those that were still there. She was so pale; she'd lost so much blood already. He tried applying pressure to her wound, trying to stop the bleeding, but it wouldn't stop. He was screaming for help now, getting more and more desperate as the seconds went by.
"A-Adrian?"
Adrian stopped and looked down as Maria's eyes fluttered open and her face twisted in pain.
"Maria?"
"It…it hurts."
Adrian bent down, touching his forehead with her, trying to calm her.
"I know. I know it does. But you've got to hold on. You're going to be alright."
Adrian looked up again, screaming for help once more as Maria closed her eyes and gritted her teeth against the pain. She grabbed for his hand, squeezing it to get his attention.
"Its…no use…"
Adrian's head snapped down; tears now stinging his eyes as he held her closer.
"Don't say that! Please don't say that. You're going to make it! You've got too!"
Maria slowly opened her eyes and looked up at him. The tears were flowing freely down his face now. The hand that was holding his slowly went up to the side of his face.
"I-I'm…not."
Adrian was openly sobbing now, holding his head close to hers as he gently rocked her back and forth.
"Hyne, no. You can't leave me. Please. You can't leave me."
"I'm sorry…Adrian…"
"No!"
Maria looked up at him, slowly smiling.
"Its…alright. Doesn't…hurt so bad…anymore…"
"No. This can't be happening. Don't leave me. Please…"
"Adrian… Listen to me…"
Adrian opened his eyes and looked into her's. Maria's breathing was getting shallower, and her words were getting softer.
"I…love you."
Adrian closed his eyes again as the tears flowed faster.
"I love you too…"
Maria closed her eyes, she was starting to feel lightheaded.
"Listen…to me… Promise me…something"
Adrian opened his eyes. "Anything…"
"Promise me…that you'll…live…"
Adrian shook his head back and forth. "I can't. I can't. Not without you. Please…"
Maria opened her eyes again., everything looked fuzzy. "Adrian… Promise me… Please…"
Adrian choked back a sob. It took everything he had to make his voice work.
"I…I promise…"
Maria smiled, and Adrian continued to stare at her as he gently rocked her back and forth. She looked so pale now…
Maria's head inched forth and her lips met his in one last kiss. He could sense her breathing was getting slow. He could barely hear her heart beat.
The kiss broke, and Maria took one last look at him.
"Love you…my…brave little…apple thief…"
Adrian continued holding her close and rocking her as he felt her hand slip away from his face.
"Maria…"
He couldn't feel the breath from her lips on his face anymore.
"Maria!"
He heard her heart give one final beat.
"Maria!"
Her head fell back as her body went limp.
"MARIA!"
Adrian buried his face into her neck, taking in the feel of her skin against his and the scent of her hair one last time. He kissed her again, but she didn't kiss back. She was gone.
Maria was dead.
Adrian began to tremble, his teeth gritted and his eyes shut tight. The dark power, the monster within, stirred, awakened by the emotions that were flying though it's master. It saw what he saw, felt what he felt.
The only person in this world that had ever openly accepted it without hesitation, the only person in this world that ever loved and cared for it, the only person in this world that did not fear it on some level, was dead.
The monster within cried out along with its master, sharing in his loss, adding its voice to his own and becoming one in a thunderous scream. The villagers there would swear to this day that they heard a demon's cry that day, a demon's cry that was filled with pain, sadness, anger, and agony. It was so loud and heart wrenching. And it scared the living hell out of every one of them.
"Adrian!"
Jun had arrived just in time to witness it. Oh, how he would never forget that sight. Adrian, on his knees and holding a lifeless body in his arms, with his head thrown back and fangs bare, letting out the most painful inhuman scream he had ever heard. He walked forward, noticing for the first time who the person was in Adrian's arms.
"Oh Hyne. No…"
Jun knelt down in front of them, moving a shaking hand towards Maria's neck, hoping that this was all just a nightmare.
He felt no pulse.
Jun lowered his head, closing his eyes as the tears came, and joined Adrian in his grief.
Jun leaned against his doorframe as he watched Adrian walk slowly across the front yard toward his motorcycle, with his bag and the sword Jun had just given him in hand. He closed his eyes as the events of the last week played through his head again.
……….
The investigators from Deling had confirmed that the initial explosion that caused the fire was caused by a gas leak from the stove. The gas ignited when the thermostat on the refrigerator came on. He remembered that Annet had been bugging Richter for a little while to get an electric stove…
……….
The funeral was held two days later. Annet and Richter's bodies were burned so badly that they had to have a closed casket ceremony for them; Maria's was open though. He sat in that room during the wake near her casket, greeting the mourners and sharing stories of the three. He looked up with everyone else as Adrian entered the room, and they all became silent.
Adrian slowly made his way to Maria's casket, not looking at or acknowledging anyone else's presence. Jun eyed him cautiously as he stood in front of the casket, taking something out of his pocket. It was a ring, a simple gold band with a diamond set in it. Adrian stood there for a minute studying the ring, and then reached into the casket, taking Maria's hand and placing the ring on her finger. With that Adrian left the room, as quietly as he entered, with everyone in the room still silent and staring at him.
………
The coroner had contacted Jun a day later with her report. Annet and Richter were dead long before the explosion happened, dying peacefully in their sleep from the gas that filled the house. Maria had bleed to death from the wound in her side cause by a piece of shrapnel from the second explosion. The coroner had one more piece of news though, and it both shocked and saddened the old man so much more.
"You are Adrian Tepes guardian, right Mr. Arikado?"
"Yes, I am."
"And he was romantically involved with Maria Renard?"
"Yes, he was."
"Then I can only assume that he is the father…"
Jun almost dropped the phone as his eyes went wide. "Ex-excuse me?"
The woman on the other end was silent for a few moments. "You…didn't know sir?"
"Know what? What's this about him being 'the father'?"
Jun heard her let out a sigh on the other end of the phone. "I'm so sorry sir. Ms. Renard...was pregnant..."
Numb. That was all Jun felt at the moment. Numb.
"It was a girl…"
Jun eyes closed has his hand covered his face.
"Sir?"
Jun blinked and spoke in a shaky voice. "Y-yes. Thank you. I must go now. Goodbye."
Jun hung the phone up and leaned against the wall as he rubbed his eyes.
"Oh Hyne… How do I tell him?"
………
But Jun couldn't tell him though. Adrian had been completely silent the whole week. He looked and acted as if he were detached from the rest of the world. The old man feared this news would push him over the edge, so he kept it to himself for now.
Jun knew the time was coming, and he was sitting in his living room when he heard the knob of the front door turn.
"Leaving? I figured you would've done so sooner."
Jun turned in his chair and saw Adrian standing at the front door with his bag slung over his shoulder.
Adrian just stood there with his head bowed low, and murmured the first words he had said all week.
"I have too…"
Jun walked up to him, putting a hand on his arm and sighing.
"I know boy. Everything here reminds you of them…of her. It reminds me of them too…"
Adrian was silent as he stared out of the window of the door. Jun turned toward his kitchen, beckoning Adrian to follow.
"But before you do, there is something we need to discuss."
………
"Sorceresses…" Adrian whispered.
Jun nodded. "Yes. It was always mine and Richter's belief that a sorceress had a hand in your 'uniqueness'."
"…and you believe it was Adel?"
Jun nodded again. "Like I said, I fought those vampires Adel summoned forth in the Battle of Centra. And their abilities were quite similar to yours."
Adrian looked down. "But…isn't she dead now?"
Jun sipped at his coffee. "No. The resistance in Esthar only managed to capture and contain her. We don't know anything else though. Esthar has been closed off to the outside world ever since the end of that war."
Adrian looked back up. "Why tell me this now?"
Jun sat his cup of coffee back down. "To give you a purpose. I didn't want you to go off wondering the world aimlessly. This is your chance to find out how you came to be. And maybe get some closure to your mother's death…"
Adrian shot Jun a glare. "I never told you anything about that."
Jun gave him a sad smile. "These walls are paper thin my boy. I overheard your confession to Maria that night…"
Maria. He had confessed so much to her, and now she was dead.
Jun got out of his chair and walked slowly out of the kitchen. "Follow me my boy. There's something I want to give you."
………
Adrian blinked. "That's…"
Jun turned around and held the sword up, unsheathing it a few inches and letting the metal shine in the light.
"This is Muramasa."
Jun handed Adrian the sword. It was long, curved, and thin. But it was lightweight, well balanced, made out of one of the strongest metals known, and the edge was sharp…very sharp.
Adrian held it up for a few moments, studying it. "But…this is one of your favorites…"
Jun crossed his arms. "Which is why I'm giving it to you. You will need something out there, and I know this weapon's power. It will serve you well as long as you take care of it."
Adrian looked at it for a few more moment and nodded, tying its sheath to his side.
They stood there in the room, both silent, trying to think of something to say to the other. Adrian finally broke the silence.
"I…guess I'll be going now…"
Jun simply nodded and followed him to the door. Both were silent all the way until Adrian stopped half way down the steps and looked back.
"I'll…come back…one of these days…"
Jun smiled. "Be sure that you do boy. You know I love a good story. Make sure you have one to tell before you come back."
They looked at each other for a few more moments before Adrian nodded and walked off toward the motorcycle. Jun leaned against the doorframe and watched him go.
……….
Jun watched the motorcycle speed down the dusty road. So much had happened in that week. So many lives turned upside down and so many hearts broken.
"His especially…" Jun said to himself as he watched the dust kicked up by the bike drift up in the air.
Jun sat down on the steps leading up to his porch and looked up into the sky, letting a single tear slide down his old face.
"Forgive me Maria. I couldn't tell him. Couldn't break him anymore than he already was. Please…forgive me…"
End Prologue
(Author's notes)
Whew, that was a long enough prologue, wasn't it? Guess I should've just made the first part the prologue and the last four regular chapters. But I wanted to get most of the background out of the way before the main story started and get people acquainted with Adrian and his character and motives. Now its time for the main story to start. About time! And don't you worry. We'll see some FF8 characters real soon.
Oh, not sure if most of you know or not. But Adrian is Alucard's real name. Says so in the SotN instruction booklet.
Anyway, I'd love to get some reviews and see what you think of this so far.