By: Lady Sapphire
Author's Notes: Once again, I'm really sorry for what happened last chapter. I got more reviews telling me I had the wrong story than for the actual chapter! Now, that's just sad. And the second chapter was a turning point too! It's where all the fun began...^_^ I still wish there was a way to turn back time and reverse that mistake...Well, at least now all my stories are organized into folders, so I won't mix it up again. Anyway for this chapter and the next, I just wanted to note that there are some parts that are supposed to coincide with each other. It just shows what the two characters are thinking at the same moment when they are not together. You'll know what I'm talking about when you read it. Hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 3: Painful Memories
Deep in the stillness of the lush forest, human life seemed void. Silence hung in the air like an icicle that hangs off a roof on a winter's day. The late afternoon wind blew, threatening to blow the leaves off the branches of the tall, majestic trees. The wind seemed to whisper gentle breaths, a secret no one will ever know. In the distance, birds twittered frivolously, while rabbits and squirrels scrambled to collect food before the arrival of the winter months. Nature's course remained undisturbed, but it wasn't meant for it to last that way…
When the dust cleared, two bodies were revealed, lying unconscious at the base of a tall cliff. Hidden, isolated, and lost from society, it seemed that hope for Kai and Mariah was slim.
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Kai stirred. Opening his eyes, he found himself staring into the sky covered by a roof of trees. He, himself, was lying on his back on a pile of dried up leaves. 'Why does it feel like I've been hit with a thousand bricks?' he wondered. Groaning, he rubbed his head in order to soothe his painful headache. In doing so, he caught sight of his arm, which had about a dozen cuts and bruises. 'Ow, what happened to me?' he wondered, straining his brain to remember. The last thing he could recall was the cliff crumbling and his body falling down to the bottom. It humoured him to see himself, still living and breathing after a fall like that. He tried to get up, but he couldn't. It felt like there was a stone resting atop his chest. Raising his head, he could see, that there was indeed something holding him down; not a rock, but something…pink?!?!
Mariah was in a sweet dream, a memory of her cherished past. A little girl with pink hair, around the age of 5, entered a room. The flames of the fireplace flickered, with the night's supper cooking within them. In a rocking chair nearby, a middle-aged woman with ruby red hair sat, rocking softly and humming a familiar tune. "Come, my dear Mariah. Come sit with me," she said in a honey-sweet voice. She radiated the warmth, softness, and kindness of a mother.
The girl giggled and climbed onto her mother's lap, snuggling closely to her chest. "Momma…" she murmured. She sniffed. 'Momma is wearing a different fragrance. But wait, since when did Momma wear cologne?' she thought suddenly. "You're not momma…" she gasped as her eyes fluttered opened and reality came crashing into her dreams.
Kai stared in horror, as the pink-haired girl who had annoyed him so much earlier today, lay silently resting on his chest. He had every intention to push her away, but when he was about to, he couldn't summon the will to do so. He didn't know why, but the sight of her petite figure curled about like a kitten snuggling close to its mother, bestowed warmth into his heart. Oh, how he envied her. Ever since he could remember, he had always wished for a normal life. A mother, a father…a normal family whom he could love and snuggle up to like what Mariah was doing now. However, life had a cruel way of turning its back on you, and in an instant, all your hopes and dreams become dispersed into thin air, as everything and everyone you love and cherish become merely faint memories. These were his memories. This was his past. A past he had long forgotten since he was forced to live with his grandfather.
*~*~*
Author's Notes: Ok, halfway through writing this chapter, I decided to split it in two. That's why this one is shorter. I have the next written too, but I'm not going to put it up just yet because I still need to proof read it. But, I promise it will be updated in the near future! Just give me a few days!
Disclaimer: I do not own anything except this fanfic.