Chapter 3

He was falling… falling… falling forever. The wind rushed past him and he just fell. He would hit the ground and it would hurt and he would die. He couldn't stop falling…

Suddenly he was captured by a pair of strong arms wrapping themselves around his waist from behind. Completely drained of all strength, he slumped against a broad chest.

"You are mine to kill, Shiroi Kumo," a hoarse voice said in his ear. "So you cannot die like this."

He turned his eyes up to look at the fluffy white clouds above them. They reminded him of his homeland.

"But I'm already dying," he answered. "Because of a broken heart..."

Warm lips pressed onto the bare skin on his shoulder, offering the slightest comfort.

Shiroi Kumo woke up bathing heavily. He swallowed once as he remembered his dream

"…Because of a broken heart…" the white swordsman whispered, and sorrow filled his light green eyes. He was, after all, from the "people among the clouds". His kind had a peace loving nature, even if they were fierce warriors in battle. They were not immune to death. Many died of old age, some died defending their home, and then there were those who died the most tragic death of all; death from a broken heart, and the painful sorrow that followed.

Only the people from Mysteria were known to die from sorrow.

That day the count sent them all out to seek and retrieve the omega crystals.

"That goes for you too, Makenshi," the boy said. Makenshi didn't answer. He never did. But silently he was happy for the distraction.

At the meanwhile, Kaze was sitting in the phantom train together with the woman, Lisa, and the tree children.

Lou, the wolf-girl had attached herself to Kaze's magun arm, and Kaze sat patiently through it all. At times he didn't even notice her. Why..? Not because he would have liked or even gotten used to being clutched like that, but because, after all, she was only a child.

Besides, he was being distracted by the memory of a dream he had had the night before.

He had been walking through a wasteland when he had seen a streak of white, falling down from the clouds. He had watched it fall with incredible speed for a while before finally capturing it in his arms a few moments before it would have hit the ground.

It was weird, the way he captured it, since he couldn't remember ever being able to fly…

The "streak of white" had slumped against his chest, and Kaze had recognized his enemy… Shiroi Kumo…

Despite that, he held the swordsman tightly, as to prevent him from falling any further as they floated in the air.

"You are mine to kill," he had whispered into Shiroi Kumo's ear. "So you cannot die like this." And he had meant it. Kumo was his to kill, no other death would do. Then he had pressed his lips onto the bare skin on Kumo's shoulder, right below the blue choker. He had felt the muscles shift under his lips as Kumo turned his head towards the sky.

"But I'm already dying," the white cloud had answered. "Because of a broken heart..."

And then… he had woken up. And at the back of his mind he had felt sorrow and worry… and he knew there was something he should have remembered… about broken hearts.

The phantom train came to a stop and he, the woman and the tree kids stepped out from it and started walking up the already well-known stairs. Lou was still attached to his side, as if glued to it, and still Kaze said nothing.

Soon they were able to hear a song… a song about work, to be precise. They followed the voices to a large factory-like room filled with men who all looked the same. Some were putting parts of machinery together, while others were tearing them apart again. Lou let go of Kaze's side and took a few stops forward to get a better look.

"I know this place," she said with surprise.

Shiroi Kumo was walking through the gaudium, preparing for his quest to find the omega crystals. He felt a pain in his chest, right above his heart.

'…dying… because of a broken heart…' But his heart wasn't broken, was it?

The white cloud stopped in his tracks when he felt the presence of the necromantic. Oscha…

"Ah, Makenshi," the 'man' said as he took form next to the swordsman. "I just came from a meeting with Kuroki Kaze, and we had a small discussion about you."

Makenshi crooked an eyebrow, but other vice didn't react.

"He asked me about you," Oscha continued. "He seemed to be very interested in you. Of course I told him that you don't really care about him, and it seemed to have upset him! Enough to use the magun..!"

For some reason, another twinge of pain went through Shiroi Kumo's chest. He knew, or at least he thought he knew that Kaze hated him.

…Upset because Oscha said he didn't care…?

Shiroi Kumo closed his eyes and walked past the necromantic without a word.

"I'm sure this won't affect your work, Makenshi," he heard Oscha say. "After all, you do not care about what Kuroki Kaze has to say, do you …Makenshi…?"

White Cloud didn't answer. He never did.

End.

I really can't believe I'm still writing on this fic… I can't believe I got an inspiration to write this chapter for that matter! Yet again, I'd like to thank all of you who reviewed; I do not deserve such kindness….