Shining through the Rain

Disclaimer: We don't own KoF, never had and most likely never will… sob

Smiles and crying are both alike in the way they both show you care. It seems that our journey has been all tears, but that's just life. Nothing like this has ever happened to me, and I don't think she's ever gone through something like this either. What I'm talking about is love, what else.

"This is going to change things," She says to me, I can hear her but I act like nothing was said. "Did you hear me?" The note of annoyance pierces into her voice, which happens often when she talks with me.

"I did, yes." My voice is dejected, but it always is whenever I'm like this.

"Why didn't you answer me then…" She almost whispers, the tears coming to her eyes again, "You never answer me… Why?" I hate it when she pleads with me, I always break.

I knew she hide something from me, but not something like this, but… I never knew I was hiding the exact same thing from me either.

Tonight, as we stand under the dim light of a street lamp it hits me.

Holding fast and holding stubborn are two very different things, but in the end… They mean the same.

"Yuri, I… I lo- I have to go," Looking down at her she closes her eyes, to keep the tears from raining down. "Goodbye." Then I walk back into the darkness, to cry alone. This is life. A smile is hard to come by, they're the most expensive luxury you could ever attain but crying, crying is free; you can never run out of tears.

She's leaving me again. Just like the last time, "Why? Why do you always leave, tell me why you never stay with me Mai!" This I shouted loudly, enough to wake up the pleasant people with their pleasant lives and pleasant families.

"Because, if I stay… We'll both regret it." Her words hurt me, so I'm regret in her eyes, just guilt.. She comes to me when she's sad… I'm just the sponge she can vent on.

"You'd be the only on to regret staying…" She's not leaving me, not this time… Never again.

"Yuri- you know I'd like to stay… But I can't anymore, we changed that tonight." The memories flash over my eyes, tonight I'll remember always. "What I meant to say before was… I love you Yuri."

The tears I swore to keep in flowed from my eyes, wait no, my soul. She had finally said it, and now, now I have to do what I set out to do from the beginning…

"Mai, I love you more than words can say…" Then, in one quick rush I was running to her, my mind set. When I hit her, we fell. But instead of our lips meeting with a fury, my hands went to her neck… Mai was never one to give up but she seemed to know that this was her fault

"I love you… So much Mai, until I die I will love you…" I whispered this, the tears increasing… They fell onto her face mixing in with her own, it felt so wrong to be doing this to her… My hands tightened around her neck… They life was leaving her body… And I choked, falling limply onto my beloved.

"Yuri, why…" There was no question in her voice, only a plead; she had wanted me to kill her, that way she wouldn't have to face tomorrow.

"I can't Mai, I just can't…" I pushed the words from my mouth and looked down at her. The eyes that once shined with life were dim now, her smile lost to the night but to me, to me she was still the most beautiful woman on the planet, "Never again… Never Mai, I won't ever hurt you," My body was tired but still I held my eyes open, just to look at her. "Please forgive me…"

"Kiss me," She said in the demanding tone I'm so used to hearing from her. "Please Yuri, just kiss me…" It was enough to break me to the anguish in her eyes, so I obeyed.

And there we were, laying atop each other in the dim light a street lamp, rejoicing a new dawn with out souls as one. Her lips moving under mine felt… I can't exactly name it, heavenly to say the least, "Please, let's just stay here forever." The kiss broke on her mumbled words…

I didn't expect her to loosen her grip, I didn't want her to. I deserved what she was about to do to me, I did put Ryo in the hospital didn't I?

No one could deny that I for her, Ryo was out of control he would have killed her if it had not been for my interference.

Then as if of my spirits volition, I spoke to her, "Kiss me," The words shocked me but deep down, I meant them. "Please Yuri, just kiss me…" This time I said these on my own, my old self was back, and she wanted Yuri to kiss her.

This kiss was some how different from the first, it was better. This time we both put our hearts into it. "Please, let's just stay here forever."

"Forever, I'd like that." Her eyes opened when I spoke, I nearly laughed, "With you Mai, forever doesn't seem that far away." I smiled down at her then brought our lips together once again, in a soft kiss, one that bound our souls.

Smiles and crying are both alike in the way they show you care. Now we both know that even if there are tears in our eyes, the smile is always in the heart; hiding away until the tears subside to shine again.

Over…

Well, this is a kind of… Don't exactly know how to say it, anyway, I formally dedicate this story to Nat, she's been through hell but kept her smile there, even while the tears were fighting to keep her light in the dark. Seriously, take that to heart, smiles are just a hug away…

Laters, Bailey

Whoa, Bailey actually wrote a sad story… Even one duck! It's tha apocalypse… Meh, its okay… Could have been longer, but what can ya do? Nothin' ahahahahaha, gotcha didn't I ..

Always, Break me Take me