Music of Choice: Titanic OST. Here Comes Goodbye - Rascall Flatts

Warning: There may be some MAJOR OOCness and MarySue tendencies coming up very quick. Please bear with me. I greatly apologize about this beforehand.

I'd like to thank XxxRazorBladeRomanceXxx, Loosenings, and SapphirestarXD for sticking with this story as long as you have. All of your comments have been greatly appreciated and hope you stick with RoA till the end.

Chapter 18 - Emptiness

Vice stood at the edge of the water. There was nothing but darkness surrounding him. His gaze wandered to the rippling surface of the pond, ice surrounding its edge. He saw his reflection upon the surface, stilling to a frozen mirror. A motion caught his golden eye and he could see Kia sitting next to him. Looking to his right, nothing came to his sight, but when he returned his gaze to the water, she was there. Hazel eyes and black hair, just as he remembered.

"I love you," were the words he so badly wanted to say and to hear them in return. He wanted the girl, the voracity nearly on equal level of wanting to kill Ultimo. Would it be appropriate to say that she "broke" him? The very thing that was suppossed to be perfect evil was now in pieces because of the rejection of one human girl? To say that that he had fallen in love with someone was inconceivable, but it happened.

She raised her hand and placed it upon the surface. When the Douji tried to touch her, the mirror shattered, and she disappeared. Kia sunk into the depths of the water, and he tried to grab her. His green gauntlet dug deeper and deeper, but only emptiness came to his claws.

Vice's eyes snapped open, his breath ragged. Sitting up, he ran a hand through his wild hair. 'What the hell?' he thought. Never had he really "dreamed", and the sheer intensity of this made it seem more like a nighmare. The evil Douji could still remember her hazel eyes, still gazing at him sadly from the other side of the glass-like mirror.

Flexing his green claws open and closed, he could still feel the cold emptiness through them. Touching his chest, it felt as though something in him wasn't working, like one of his parts had stopped functioning and wouldn't restart. The apartment was silent and empty with the exception of K's obnoxious snoring from the next room.

Laying back down, the green Douji heaved a sigh. He hated this agitation. While closing his golden eyes, Vice decided that he would tell her. When the morning came, after the Hyakki Eikou passed, he would tell Kia he loved her.

Kia woke to bright sunlight streaming into her room. For a moment, she didn't remember where she was at again. Her hand brushed something, and she picked up what looked like a note.

- Stay here today. Don't leave, no matter what.

Musashi -

"Sorry, Murayama," she said. "I can't agree to that. I have my own agenda today." Standing up, she looked around for the yukata that Machi and Slow gave her, and found it draped over a chair. Slowly putting it on, her mind ran over the plan she and Dante discussed. Part of her was terrified about it, and the other part knew she had to do it.

Suddenly, a sickening feeling came to her gut. Something was happening.

Yanking open the door of her apartment, she bolted down the stairs into the sushi shop. Eco stood behind the counter, a surprised look on his face from her sudden entry. "Good morning," he started to say, but was interuppted.

"Where's Murayama? And Yamato?" she panicked. Not waiting for an answer, she bolted out the door and onto the street. She ran, eventually kicking off her sandals and running barefoot. Her legs started to burn and panted, feeling her blood pumping through her veins.

Kia stopped once, trying to breathe. Everything was a struggle now, but she couldn't afford to give up yet. Starting once again, she ran as far as she could as fast as she could. She had to get to Tansen's, that was a must. Only now was she starting to dislike the yukata she was wearing, for it restricted some of her movement.

"Need help?" she heard a small voice ask her. Turning to see Edile and Hana, she could feel waves of relief and fear running through her.

"Take me, to Tansen," she panted.

"Why should I-"

"FUCKING TAKE ME TO HIM NOW, EDILE!" she screamed, frightening Hana. The embodiment of Gluttony looked at her in shock, surprised that she had screamed at him like that. Realizing she was serious, he grabbed her and Hana and flew as fast as he could.

She watched as the city and countryside fly by so fast that in no time at all, they had arrived at the young Doctor's house. He was waiting for her outside with Dante, both who were dressed in kimono like clothing. Dropping both of them, Edile landed next to Hana, both who were wary of Kia.

"Tansen, I need-"

"Yes," he spoke cooly. "I know what you need." Motioning with his hand, she and the two littler ones followed him into the house. Dante had a forlorn expression upon her face, her pink eyes glittered with sadness. The Doll said nothing, and Edile looked at her with curiosity.

"Tansen," Kia started again, "you have to tell me how to stop the Hyakki Eikou."

"You've already been told that it can't be prevented," he said monotonously. He held a cold expression, looking as though Kia had interuppted some very important business. "If you've come here to bother me with nonsense, I insist that you leave."

"But there's got to be something I can do," Kia said, her voice wavering.

"What a greedy little girl," he snapped at her. "You think that if I gave you enough power, you would have the ability to stop the Hyakki Eikou, the Hundred Machine Funeral?"

Kia stopped, seeing Tansen's once giddy brown eyes turn dark and cold. "I can't believe someone like you would be in a place like this. What makes you honestly think you're good enough to stop it? To even think you could surpass my grandfather and believe that you could do something as great and defying the power of nine dimensions."

"I don't care!" she screamed, tears streaming from her eyes. "I don't care if I can stop it or not, I just don't want it to happen!"

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to lose the ones I care for! Dante told me what Dunstan was going to do once it was over. She said he was going to destroy the Douji. I don't want to lose Jealousy or Edile or even Vice." Her words almost seemed foreign to her, but Kia was done trying to deny or change anything in her mind anymore.

"For their power? Is that the only reason why you don't want to lose vice"

"I don't want to lose Vice because I love him!" Dropping to her knees, Kia cried. "Please," she begged, "just tell me what I need to do and I can do it. Please."

"You are ready and willing to give up everything?"

"Yes."

"You know the price?"

"Yes, yes, I do. I know the price and its terms, and I accept them." Kia felt Tansen lift her head to face him, his eyes kind and gentle again.

"That's what I needed to hear," he told her. "Then let us go," he ushered her to follow him, and she obliged. Into the darkness, down into the emptiness that waited for her. There was no more time for regrets, for sadness, for anything. Kia faced this the moment she became involved with the Doujis, and only now she realized it.

The final minute had ticked away.

"Goodbye."

Please leave your thoughts.