Author's Note: I want to get this story finished soon, so that I can work on some other stuff... not that I don't love working on this; I do. It's really fun to write. I just have a lot of stuff planned.

Anywho, onto the next chapter.

--

Five-Leafed Clover

Sequel to 'Even My Shadow Left Me' an MI fanfiction by Strike To Incinerate.

Chapter o5 - Snowdrop (Hope and Consolation)

--

"In your last hour stand
You'll notice the one that you had loved in dreams is here among the others
Chase it's you I want, but if I can't have her
Then why should I spend any more time in a world that's going to end pretty soon?
I need you now more than I ever did
I'll hand myself over for you
This comlink's lost its frequency and I feel that we're coming home short
Here, take me instead, I'd rather not see her off alone"

Cuts Marked in the March of Men by Coheed and Cambria.

--

It had only been two weeks, but it wasn't working.

He had changed the locks, that was step two... but she hadn't come back to notice that, or bang on the door and demand to be let back in. He had half-expected her to; nay, he had expected her to, after a three-year relationship, and how she was always screaming about how much she loved him.

It had left disappointment seeping in the pit of his stomach.

He hadn't been able to go through with Step Three: Screw One of Her Friends So That She'll Never Even Want to Bother You Again.

For a few days, he had been angry, destroying the furniture in his apartment, tearing it to shreds like an animal, before he began to cough and spit up clots of blood.

Why wouldn't she come back and beg him to take her in?

Why?

It made very little sense to him. What was she trying to prove? That she would be okay without him?

But she wouldn't...

But maybe she would. Wasn't that why he had broken up with her? To make sure that she would be okay in the long run. Wasn't it better if she was okay without him?

It was okay for her.

But it was killing him, thinking that she really could move on so easily. Either she was stronger than he realized, or she had never cared as much as she had claimed.

No, that wasn't true. It couldn't be. Their love had been one of the only positive things in his life. One of the few stars still glittering in the night sky of his soul.

He had to have her back. Even if it was for a few days... it was killing him, to be without her, to have all of those thoughts milling around in his head. But he was going to die anyway. Why couldn't he have her for just a little longer?

He would have to beg Shizuka and Ryuhaku Todoh to give her back.

Iori Yagami stood up, and grabbed his car keys, wiping the little bit of blood that clung to his lower lip.

--

"Well?" Alba began. "Aren't you going to say something?" he asked her.

"Don't say anything to him!" Rock spat. "He doesn't deserve it!"

"Shut up, Howard!" Alba continued. "You can't just run in and pretend to be a knight in shining armor, making me look like the evil one."

"Well, you're certainly not the good guy!"

She wanted to yell at them to shut up, but nothing was coming out. Maybe it was the alcohal, she thought... she'd never drank so much before. Only a few tiny sips, because Master Kim had said that alcohal only led to evil... so maybe that was it. Maybe alcohal really was evil.

But she doubted it.

Rock had drank just as much as she had, and he could still yell.

She stood up, and shook her head. She raised her hand, showing her open palm to Alba, telling him to stop. He blinked. She did the same to Rock.

"... Is something wrong with your voice?" the redhead finally asked her.

She nodded.

Rock stood up. "She probably lost it because of all of the stress you were causing her."

"Oh, you would say that, wouldn't you?" Alba retorted. "Big bad Alba Meira. You can't lose your voice from stress, idiot. She probably got a cold because you killed her immune system with your binge drinking."

"As if that's even possible. Alcohal kills your liver, not your immune system. Look who's the idiot now," Rock responded.

Chae was getting sick of their bickering. She had never imagined two grown men fighting over her, and now, she really didn't want to. It was annoying, and childish, and frankly, it was going to give her an ego if they kept it up.

So she slapped them both across the face.

They rubbed their cheeks and looked at her.

"Well... you did tell us to stop..." Rock said sheepishly.

She folded her arms over her chest, and nodded. She began to sign the words for 'Can we please go to the hospital?' but unfortunately, Alba and Rock had never studied American Sign Language. Or Korean Sign Language, for that matter.

It was then that, with a violet flash, Ninon Beart made her grand entrance as the newest antagonist of this tale. "She wants you to take her to the hospital, you dolts," she told them, glaring at Rock specifically.

"Uh... thanks," Alba said. "Come on, the car is downstairs..." he said, taking Chae's hand and walking towards the stairs.

"But it's not going to help," Ninon called after them. "It's not an infection or an inflammation of any kind that's taken her voice," she told them, a small, feral grin playing on her thin lips.

"What?" Rock asked. "Then what is it?"

"What else does a sorceress do to a thieving, siren harlot?" Ninon replied with a shrug. "It's a curse... morons."

Chae Lim clenched her fists, opening her mouth to speak... and then, as Ninon laughed, remembered that she could not talk. So, instead, her hands moved quickly as she signed, 'I'm not a whore... what did I ever do to you? Why does everyone dislike me lately?'

"Don't be so dramatic," Ninon told her. "And you know exactly what you did, you scheming little siren... stealing Athena's fans wasn't good enough, was it?"

'I didn't--'

"No, you had to steal Rock, too!" she said, glaring at Rock again. "Your pathetic lover left you, so you decide to steal someone else's, huh?" she continued. "Well, you messed with the wrong Medea, siren!"

"She didn't steal anyone," Alba said. "And you and Rock weren't even dating. I don't think he's remotely interested in you."

Ninon threw out her hand, releasing a ball of blue electricity. Alba ducked it, pulling Chae down with him. It hit that wall and evaporated, leaving blackened scorch marks.

"Ninon, stop it," Rock told her. "You know, you come on way too strong... and you're just a kid. I'm 21, I could get thrown in jail if we did anything," he told her. "And with your sister being so overprotective, I don't doubt that I would."

"I don't care about what Mignon thinks! She's more of an idiot than any of you!" Ninon protested. "And I'm mature enough to handle an adult relationship. I've never met anyone with as much inner torment as you. Not to mention how good-looking you are, to boot!"

Rock flushed a little, and didn't say anything.

"This right here proves that you're not mature enough, Ninon," Alba told her. "You went and cursed Chae Lim for no reason at all. You had no right."

"I had every right! She--"

"--did absolutely nothing at all," Rock agreed. "She was going through a very hard time, and things got a little out of hand between us, that's all. You can't just go running around cursing people everytime something doesn't go your way."

"But I..." Ninon began. She wasn't used to be scolded, mostly because Mignon wasn't good at it, at all. Mignon was just too nice to ever look stern enough to scold someone, even a puppy. "Fine! Everybody take her side! You're all... idiots! Every single last one of you! I can't believe I wasted this much energy on you at all!" she said, crying and teleporting out.

"I feel... kinda bad..." Rock said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't want to make the poor kid cry..."

"You didn't do anything to lead her on, did you?" Alba asked.

"Oh, god no!"

"Okay, then," he said. "So... it really just got out of hand, huh?"

Rock and Chae both nodded. They were sobered up now.

"Keep your hands to yourself, Howard," Alba said bitterly, taking Chae's hand, and pulling her back into the apartment. Weakly, she waved goodbye to Rock, and the sound of a slammed door echoed in his ears until he turned and walked away.

On the coffee table, there was a note, written in the lopsided cursive of a teenager.

Alba picked it up, skimming it.

"Don't worry; it's not a permanent curse. She can get her voice back with a kiss.

But only from the one that truly loves her.

Ciao,

Ninon Beart, the wicked sea-witch."

Alba was tempted to crumple the note and toss it, but he let Chae Lim read it.

She figured that it was easy enough.

She dropped the note, threw her arms around him, and attempted to kiss him.

He was startled, and pushed her off.

She gave him a puzzled look, signing, 'What's wrong? Just kiss me.'

He shook his head, seeming to understand. "I can't."

'You don't love me?'

Alba could only understand the sign for love, but he seemed to get that she was asking him a question. "That isn't it..."

'Then what's wrong?'

He paused, thinking it over. He had wanted to ask her for space... but now, thanks to Ninon Beart, he couldn't just leave her by herself. He could kiss her, because it had become abundantly clear to himself and everyone else that he still loved her... but what if the kiss didn't work? Then all of his stress would have been for nothing, because it would mean that they had never been meant for each other.

And, on the other hand, if the kiss did work, then he would be eternally tied to her. It was a lot of pressure, knowing that she might be the woman he would spend the rest of his life with. If they were unhappy, he could never leave... because that kiss would mean that they were meant for each other.

She raised her arm, and pointed at the hallway which led to his-- their bedroom. Her lips were moving, but no sound came out... still, he knew that she had clearly said, 'Go... now.'

He nodded.

'What did you think you were doing, busting in here, trying to act all noble, when you're not even sure that you want me back? It's fine for you to go off and screw someone else, but when I try to do it, it's suddenly not okay!'

Her lips were moving too fast for him now. "I can't understand you," he told her helplessly.

'I can't understand you! And I've tried so hard to. I tried to be fine with you leaving me for Luise, especially after what happened... especially after of all the hoping that you would just stay with me. I waited for two months for you to wake up, two agonizing months, and you just had sex with me and decided to move on to something better. And as soon as I try to move on, too, you come busting in...'

In the middle of her soundless rant, she again realized that he couldn't hear her... that was what he meant when he said he couldn't understand.

Biting back tears, she flopped down on the couch, and rolled away from him.

He fought the urge to go and comfort her, sensing that she didn't want it right now.

--

It was around seven p.m. when Kasumi heard a car pull up into her family's driveway. She set down the glass she was washing, and wiped her hands on a towel, thinking she would go let the guest in.

Her mother stopped her. "I'll answer it," her voice was tense, and her eyes were sharp. It set Kasumi off, but she didn't do anything.

At least, until she heard her mother near hiss, "Go away," from the doorway.

She attempted to leave the kitchen, but her father blocked the way with his arm. "You stay here, Kasumi-chan. I'll handle this," he told her firmly.

She bit her lip, the faint, small hope sparking up in her chest as she thought that maybe... oh maybe, it was Iori.

She had missed him so much.

But she had promised that if he didn't want her, she wouldn't stick around. There was no point to it... no point at all.

But she missed him, and if that was him... she couldn't deny that she would happy to see him again, even for a minute.

She watched her father walk up to the front hall, but she stood still. Maybe it was not Iori after all.

Iori ground his teeth, and said, "Why won't you let me through? She's an adult. If she hates me that much, I'll leave."

"On the contrary... Our daughter would be happy to see you," Shizuka said. "But you agreed with us, you said it was better if she didn't. It would save her a lot of pain..."

"It was stupid, she's an adult, she can make her own decisions," he said quickly.

"Get off of my porch, now," Shizuka commanded. "And don't ever come back here. I'm not letting you ruin her."

Ryuhaku, absolutely frozen by the coldness in his wife's voice, did nothing. It was unfair for him to do anything, besides; he could let Iori through, siding with his only child, or he could agree with his wife, and bar his entry.

Iori was desperate. He knew why they wouldn't give Kasumi back to him... and deep down, he didn't blame them in the least. "Please, let me talk to her for a moment, I'm begging you---"

"I-Iori?"

Kasumi's voice was like a deep breath of cold, fresh air. It felt nice, it cleared his head. It filled his lungs and made him sigh.

"Kasumi, stay in the kitchen!" her mother shrilled.

"It's Yagami-san, isn't it?" Kasumi called, more insistently.

As selfish as it was, Iori had to see her... especially now that he knew that she wanted to see him, too. He did the last thing he'd ever thought he'd do...

he got on his knees, bowed his head, and begged.

"Please... I have to see Kasumi-san."

--

Cliff hanger. Just because I can.

Review, plox. xD