Pervadeshipping (Cyndia x Amane)
(first person POV from Cyndia)
She appeared while I was waiting, and I realized, if she was here, she must have someone to wait for too.
I've often noticed that in the spiritual realm, scents become more descriptive of a person's soul than anything else. And the scent that pervaded the air when she appeared was the soft smell of white lilies, bouncing in a silent breeze.
In fact, everything about her reminded me of a lily. She was small, frail, and fair. Dazzling white hair fell smoothly across her back, interrupted only by the bright red ribbon at the back of her head. For a brief moment, I could see her as she was when she died – terribly broken, bloodied, and mangled by what could only have been a car accident. But the wounds faded as she opened soft brown eyes, and she looked like an ordinary little girl again.
Her eyes snapped wide open and she scrambled up to her knees.
"Sh," I whispered. "Sh, it's okay. You're all right."
"N-nii-chan!" she shouted. The word was unfamiliar to me, but as her spirit detached fully from the physical world, language quickly ceased to matter, and I could understand her. "Big brother! Big brother!"
She was still in shock from death – it was a feeling I knew well.
"Hush, hush," I said, taking her in my arms. "I'm sure your brother is fine."
The girl trembled in my arms. My heart clenched up. She was so small, so young! She did not deserve to be here yet. Slowly, her shaking shoulders calmed, and the sobs faded away. We sat silently for a few moments.
"Are you all right now?"
She nodded silently against my chest.
"What's your name?"
She hiccuped once before answering.
"A-Amane. Amane Bakura."
"It's nice to meet you, Amane. I'm Cyndia Crawford."
"N-nice to meet you, too."
She pulled back a little bit, and I let her come out of the embrace. She looked up at me for a long moment. Then she looked around, taking in the thoroughly indescribable landscape.
"Where..." she said slowly. But before I could answer, her eyes started to bubble again. "Oh...is this...heaven?"
"No, but it's somewhere close to it," I said. "Spirits come here if they're waiting for someone to meet them."
"So...I'm dead, right?"
"I'm afraid so."
She stiffened up. It looked as though she might burst into tears. But she rubbed furiously at her eyes, and looked up with wavering determination.
"I...I thought so..." she said. "But – my big brother – is he here too? Did mom and dad die, too?"
I glanced around. I didn't see any new spirits, nor could I catch the scent of an unfamiliar spirit. There was only the scent of all-spice from Cadeline, who was somewhere else right now, and the very faint scent of mixed flowers from the green-haired boy that still hadn't fully died. Either they had already passed on to the next place, or they were still alive.
"Let's look in the well, and see if they're okay, all right?" I said.
She swallowed and tried to look brave.
"Okay."
She stood shakily, and gripped my hand ferociously. Slowly, we walked to the well – our only connection to the living world. I looked down into the pseudo-water, more of a thick oily paint than anything. For a brief moment, I caught a glimpse of Pegasus. My dear, sweet Pegasus, sitting alone in his room and crying, blank canvases scattering the floor. More than ever, I wished I could reach out and touch him, just to let him know that I'm all right. I shook my head.
"Look inside, and think of who you want to see," I said. "This is a window to the living world."
Amane stood on tip-toe to look over the wall. An image started to clear. There was a boy with the same white hair as Amane, although his was cut short. Dull brown eyes stared at nothing as he sat inside of an ambulance, a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. Amane bit her lip. I glanced across at her to see if she was all right.
"Your brother is okay," I said. "It looks like they're taking care of your father, too."
Amane nodded, but she still looked worried. An older man with gray hair was being treated for what appeared to be a concussion inside the same ambulance. The scene moved out of the ambulance and to the road. Now I could see the brunt of the accident – the car sighed against a massive tree, upside-down and completely caved in on one side. Smoke filtered upwards, and a few firemen were still putting out small fires around it. Two black body bags lay on the road itself. Paramedics talked amongst themselves, shaking their heads.
Amane stiffened beside her. I grabbed her hand and squeezed. I knew what it was like to see one's own body left behind in the living world.
Her shoulders were trembling again.
"Mommy died," she whispered. "But where is she?"
I knelt down beside her, taking her by the shoulders.
"Only those who want to wait come here," I said quietly.
I looked her right in the eyes, and she looked back, her brown eyes spilling over with silent tears.
"Mommy didn't want to wait?" she said.
"Not as much as you did," I said. "The stronger your feelings, the easier it is to come here."
I squeezed her shoulders.
"Who are you waiting for?" I murmured.
Amane swallowed.
"My big brother," she said.
"Can you wait that long for him?"
Amane hesitated. Then she nodded.
"As long as I have to."
I smiled.
"I think...we'll get along, Amane," I said. "Don't worry. I will wait as long as you do."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
A/N: And I'm gonna cry, now. :( Next is Persevereshipping (Anzu x Otogi).
