Prologue

Letting the Rain Fall

rightio. this is a story. about albel. and what he's willing to go through to say five words to the one woman he let through the gates to his heart. it's nice. oh, and take note of the big word above my notes. it says...PROLOGUE. that's right, guys! it's part of a sequence! woooooooooh! please read!

I have tried to deny it, but it's useless.

I…love her.

But how? She's the enemy, despite what the peace treaty says. She always will be.

Yet at night when we camp, and I see her talking with the rest of the group, I feel a warmth in my cold heart. And some of the ice…breaks.

But we will never be.

This I know from the dreams.

No longer are they of my father, screaming as the flesh is burnt from his bones. I almost miss them, now.

Confused, I walk on through the grey mist that surrounds me as if feeding off the colours of the landscape. I try to look for a way out, but stop when a voice calls me. And I know that I must look for that voice. I know. For I know whose voice it is. I know, without a shadow of a doubt that it is her.

I run in the direction of the voice, and sure enough, I see her. She is standing alone, clothed in a simple white dress that trails over the ground. Her beautiful hair frames her face perfectly, and her eyes are gentle and caring. She smiles sadly when she sees me, and slowly spreads her arms wide, as if in an embrace.

And I keep running, trying desperately to reach her, to hold her. And I'm almost there, when I stop suddenly.

She is wearing the sacrificial dress that the women wore years ago, when people still believed in blood offerings. I look at my claw, and watch as it changes to a blood-red. I can feel it; the blood-frenzy that I feel in every battle. My vision goes red – I cannot see. I feel my arm thrust forward, gripping warm, soft flesh, delving deeper…and then, just as quickly as it comes, the frenzy disappears. I lift my claw, and to my horror, I see it drenched in blood. And held in the grasp of the cruel talons, I see a heart.

It's still beating.

I look up at her, and even as she falls, I can see that same sad smile, those gentle eyes…

I wake up. And the first thing I see is her kneeling beside me. "Nox? Are you all right? You were shouting in your sleep again."

I growl and push her away. "Leave me be, Zelpher. Just…go away." The dream is still too fresh in my mind.

As she turns, I can see it. A brief look of hurt, before it disappears, like a bird in flight, to be replaced by anger and annoyance. But why would she feel hurt? I treat her just like any of the other useless fools. So why…?

I sigh and roll over. I do not want to sleep. My gaze falls on my claw. And I see the blood, her blood, dripping from it, the same colour as my crimson eyes. I can feel her heart, beating against the steel cage of my artificial hand.

But the sleep, although I fight it, overcomes me, and I am forced into the dream world once more.

It is different, this time.

I am on a hill, alone. The stars sparkle from above, watching me with their many eyes.

A figure comes towards me. It's her.

She smiles at me, and sits down at my side. She rests her head against my shoulder, her red hair mingling with my own black-blonde, and gently caressing my cheek. She smiles again, her green eyes shining, full of life and innocence.

I open my mouth to say something, but she presses a slender finger to my lips as she moves in front of me. And then, she kisses me, and I feel my heart break free from its prison of ice.

She pulls back, and her smile has changed. It is still just as loving and tender, but tinged with sadness. She looks down, and I follow her gaze, gasping when I see my claw embedded, all the way up to the elbow, in her chest. She smiles her sad smile, and the light in her beautiful eyes goes out.

I awake with a gasp. Not again.

Every time I watch her die, I feel as if my soul is ripped from my body.

I quickly turn my head, so the others don't see what I'm doing. If any of them saw it…

I get up and walk off a little. I see her sitting on a rock, her head tipped back, as if bathing in the cool light of the moon. Her red hair shimmers as she turns to look at me. "Where're you going, Nox? It's going to rain soon."

"None of your business, fool."

She shrugs. "Whatever."

I walk on, and soon the clouds turn grey. I feel a droplet of water fall onto my open palms as I spread my arms and tilt my head back. I close my eyes, feeling the rain beating down on me, cleansing my grief, as it hammers against my closed lids.

I grin and let the rain fall down, beating back my dreams, washing away my sanity.

A crack of thunder – I shout out with it, roar, letting out all my feelings.

I laugh. I'll admit it had more than a little craziness laced in it.

The water streams from my face.

That's the best thing about the rain.

No one can see you cry.