Alright. Final Chap . . . here goes . . .

Disclaimer: Everything except the stuff I made up belongs to the brilliant and sadistic(i mean that in a good way) minds of Capcom.

Chapter 9: The Beginning of an Eternity . . .

"Fiona . . . Fiona wake up." It was an unfamiliar voice. She sat up, looking groggily around the room. She was on a hospital bed, and saw a doctor. She had a kindly face and short red hair.

"What? Where am I?"

"You're at Holy Cross Hospital. You've been in a coma for a week."

"How do you know my name?"

"We found you near a crash sight . . . The other passengers didn't make it. We found your school I.D."

"Oh." She had a sense of deja vu, and was surprised that their death did not impact her that badly. The doctor told her that some tests would be done later, and left the room. She continued to look around the room, feeling that there was something wrong. She looked down at her hands, wondering what exactly was wrong with her. Something was nagging her at the back of her mind. A memory, something she had worked hard to repress. Then it came to the front of her mind. All the memories. The last one to pass was that of two strong, warm arms around her. The name echoed in her mind. Draven . . . She remembered everything. She tried to summon her ice, but couldn't.

"Was it all a dream . . . ?" She shook her head. No. A memory that vivid couldn't be a dream, but why couldn't she summon the ice? Was she made into a mortal? Had she made a mistake, and chosen the wrong door? No, she couldn't have. She was supposed to forget. She remembered everything . . . "No, I don't want to remember. If I'm stuck as a mortal, I don't want to . . . feel like . . . I've lost him . . ." The tears began to flow freely, her sobs shaking her body. She closed her eyes and lay back, trying to forget, trying to convince herself that it was all a dream.

Meanwhile . .

Fiona writhed in her sleep, unable to keep still. Draven and Bella could only watch as she struggled. They were both dressed the way they usually were.

"Brother, why won't she wake up?"

"I don't know. She should've woken up by now. Go get Arella and Tom." She left. He walked over to her, sitting beside her on the bed. She began to mumble.

"I don't want to . . . feel like . . . I've lost him."

"Fiona?" He gently stroked her cheek with his hand. "Love, wake up, I'm right here . . ." Her face was contorted in pain. If it was physical pain, Draven didn't know. Tears began to stream out of her closed eyes. Draven quickly brushed them away, not being able to stand seeing her cry.

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"Why? Why do I have to remember? I can't take it . . ." Fiona was staring at the ceiling. She couldn't believe what was happening to her. How could she be mortal and still remember?

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Arella, a beautiful middle aged woman walked in. She had long dark hair and blue eyes. She was still wearing her cloak, but had her hood down. Behind her came Tom, he, too was middle aged, but had short dirty blonde hair, and was dressed the same. Bella closed the door and turned to them.

"Bella told you what's wrong?"

"Yes. I believe I know why she won't wake." This was Arella speaking, trying to calm him down, noticing the anxiety in his tired voice. "She went through a lot of emotional stress and was traumatized. I went through the same thing. The shock and trauma combined made her reject the immortality, but keep the memories. She's currently awake in a hospital room, and remembers everything. She probably feels like a mortal, as well. What she is currently experiencing is in her own mind. She has somehow shut off everything around her. She will be trapped in that world unless we can find a way to make her feel that this world is real. The only option I can think of right now would be to inflict physical damage on her."

"Absolutely not. I will not hurt, nor will I allow anyone to hurt her."

"I'm sorry . . ." This was Tom, "You must find a different way then. Until you can make her feel that this world is real, she will not wake and the stress on her mind will kill her . . ." They left the room, leaving Bella and Draven to think about what they could do. Draven saw that Bella looked really worn out.

"Sister, you should sleep. You seem tired . . ."

"What about you?"

"I'm going to see if I can think of a way to wake her up. You need to rest, so go." She did as he said, and Draven was left alone with Fiona.

"I can't take it . . ." She was mumbling again. Draven decided to try to wake her by speaking only.

"Fiona," he leaned down to put his mouth by her ear. "Wake up, I'm right here, waiting for you. Bella wants to see you, too. We're worried Fiona . . . please, come back to us . . . to me."

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"Come back to us . . . to me." Fiona felt that she was hearing things. Draven voice hovered around her, and she tried to block it out, tried to forget. The strain she was causing her mind made her sleepy. She was suddenly exhausted, and collapsed back into the bed.

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Fiona stopped moving, and her body became cold. No . . . she can't be dead . . . she can't die! Her face also paled. Draven checked for her pulse, and was relieved to feel that it was still there. It was faint, though, and he could tell it was getting weaker. She would die within the hour if he didn't wake her. He didn't want to hurt her though, especially now, that she was in such a weak condition, and so vulnerable. He was struggling with the emotions in him. His desire to try to wake her up, against his desire to keep her from harm. He was almost going to try to hurt her to wake her up, when he realized something. I love her . . . I can't hurt her . . . He looked at his hands, angry with himself for considering it. He looked down at Fiona, hating the fact that she looked so delicate and that he couldn't protect her.

Draven decided to let fate decide if Fiona would survive or not. He leaned over and kissed her, similar to how she had done when he died.

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She was surrounded by darkness, and felt something come in contact with her lips. Feeling returned to the rest of her body, and she realized she was lying on a bed, and there was a hand on her cheek. She recognized the warmth and aura, and didn't need to open her eyes to know who was kissing her. She responded, putting her hand over the one on her cheek, and finding his cheek with her other hand. She sensed Draven's surprise but was glad that he didn't stop the kiss. After a while, he gently pushed away from her. She kept her eyes closed, though, wishing it hadn't ended.

Fiona finally opened them to see that she was lying on a canopy bed. She looked around the room and saw that the color scheme was deep maroon and silver. Her eyes finally came to rest on Draven. He was looking at her with a strange glint in his eyes that she had only seen in two other people before. Her parents. That was how they had looked at each other. She recognized it as love. Draven loves me? She sat up, so she could be at his eye level. He just continued to look at her, and she knew she was looking at him the same way. He brought his hand to her cheek again and she relished in his touch. She allowed a content smile to spread across her face. She closed her eyes again, loving the warmth that came from him. When she opened her eyes, she saw that he had tears in his.

"Fiona . . . I thought I'd lost you." This time, she didn't hesitate.

"You'll never lose me . . ." She initiated the kiss this time, and they laid down on the bed. Fiona snuggled close to him, and Draven put one hand on her cheek and the other arm around her, holding her close, never letting go again. A million questions invaded her head again. "Draven?"

"Yes, love?" The endearment made her insides flutter.

"What happened? After, you know . . ."

"After I died?"

"Mm hm."

"I became an immortal. I had been on their list for a while. They didn't bother with the trials."

"Oh. Did you know that I . . . ?"

"No. I didn't know. You weren't supposed to compete for another year. The Other Realms were the ones competing. A year from now was when the living would compete. None of this would have happened if I had taken better care of you . . ." He seemed angry at himself.

"Don't. Don't blame yourself. Everything turned out ok. We're together, and that's all that matters."

"Yes, and I'll never let you go again . . . you don't mind, do you?"

"No, I don't mind." She signed contentedly, thinking about the eternity ahead of her. "Um, I know this sounds silly, but were you in my second trial?"

"No, I wasn't. I was asleep until the second trials ended."

"Oh, I was just wondering, since you helped me get through it."

"How?"

"You fought off the Bellis, Debilitas, and Daniella, while I was recovering. You faded after they were gone, though. I wasn't sure if that had been you, or just part of the trial."

"I think that was me. My spirit must have wandered away from my body. My need to protect you must have taken over, and searched for you." So he was the one who had provided her with weapons. Then she remembered something.

"Draven, at the end of the third trial, I killed you. I was told to dispose of an immortal and, when the hood came off, it was you . . . I thought I . . ."

"No, that wasn't me. That immortal had been Lorenzo's apprentice and very loyal to him. He tried to resurrect him, so he needed to be disposed of. He morphed into me to have a last laugh against you." She shuddered as she remembered what it felt like to see him, dead because of her. He held her closer, knowing what she was thinking. The tears began to flow again. He just held her, letting her vent, remembering what he had said to her before. After a while, the tears stopped, but her shaking continued. He used his thumb to wipe her cheeks.

"Thanks."

"Shh. It's ok . . . try to rest." He put his finger under her chin and brought it up to his. He kissed her softly. Fiona melted into him completely. She let sleep overtake her, and closing her eyes, she said,

"I love you . . ."

"I love you, too." And they both let their fatigue take over.

Well, that's it. I probably have an epilogue coming up, but it will be short.

Please review!