CHAPTER XV

"No! Please! I don't want you to die, Youhi!" tears flowed down freely on my cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Asahi," he hugged me tightly. "This is the only thing that I can do for you not to suffer. This is for you, Asahi." He then looked at Shi and nodded.

"But then," Inochi said doubtfully. "We still need Asahi's help in this."

"What do you mean?" Youhi asked her.

"Actually, the queen is…the cat-human form of Asahi in this world," Inochi said. "And the reason why Asahi came to this world is that, being the mirror image of the queen's, she's the only one that can bring the queen back to consciousness."

There was an uncomfortable silence between the four of us.

"Asahi…" Youhi whispered. "Please grant me my wish. Let us do this."

"No!" I shook my head stubbornly.

"Asahi," Shi said thoughtfully. "Try to think it carefully. Yes, you can live here happily with Youhi. But then the consequences of it are… the constant pain that you will be feeling and your happiness is but short-lived---"

"It's okay! I can bear the pain!"

"The queen will continue on sleeping and this world will slowly be destroyed and---"

"I don't care!"

"By suffering like that, you'll also cause pain to Youhi. And by the time you'll die, he'll be living alone again which will give him more pain than to what he is feeling before he met you."

"I---!" I gasp. No! I… So that's it. I've really got no choice. I also don't want Youhi to suffer. I shook my head, more tears flowed down from my eyes. "I'll do it."

"Asahi…" Youhi gazed at me lovingly and wiped the tears away. "Thank you."

"Very well then," Shi stood. Inochi went beside her. "Let us now go to the queen."

I started to follow them when suddenly Youhi carried me in his arms.

"At least let me carry you one last time," he smiled gently at me.

I hugged him tightly. I can't speak. I'm afraid to speak. But then…

"We're here," Shi said as she opened a door that lead us inside a vast bedroom.

There was a large bed in the middle of it and when we went closer, I gasped as I stare at the one lying on it. It was the little girl I saw when I touched the blue stone. So she really is the queen. When I looked at her closely, except for the color of our hair, I can clearly see our resemblance.

I touched Youhi's cheek and he set me down. I sat at the edge of the bed and gazed at the girl. Something is stirring inside me and slowly, I touched the girl's face. Warmth spread from my hand towards my body. My face gentled and I turned towards the twins.

"What's her name?"

"It's Tsuki," Inochi smiled at me. They were standing on the other end of the bed. I noticed how they look at the girl, no, I should now call her Tsuki. They must really love her so much to be doing all they can do to bring her back.

Youhi knelt beside me and pressed the stone in my hand.

"Asahi," he said. "I don't know how long I will still be alive after you bring her back. So… I want to say this to you clearly right now. I love you, Asahi, with all my heart. I've loved you ever since I opened my eyes, and I'll still love you even through death."

"I love you too, Youhi." I smiled tearfully at him. "You're the only one that I will ever love."

I turned towards Tsuki and took her hands. I pressed the stone in her palms then I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Her hands… It feels so warm. It's pulling me into darkness. I suddenly gasped when I saw a bright light in the middle of the darkness. I slowly approached it and I saw someone sitting so still in the light. It's Tsuki. I went closer and knelt beside her. She was so still and I thought that she's sleeping, when I softly heard her sobbed.

"What's wrong, Tsuki?" I asked her.

Slowly, she raised her head and looked straight at me.

"You are feeling a great pain, right now, Asahi," she said. Her voice sound so gentle. "And I can feel it too. This sadness… It really hurts me. It hurts me so much."

She continued on sobbing. I smiled. She really is like a child. I gasped as I remembered something. My parents left each other when I was still a child, and according to Youhi, he and his mother came to this place when my parents left me. So that means… This incident, it happened when Tsuki was still at the age of five. And she still looks like a 5-year old child right now. It seems her time had stopped. So this must be the cause of this world being unbalanced.

"It's alright, Tsuki," I smoothed her hair and hugged her tightly. "I'm still happy."

"Happy? Why?"

"Because I love and was loved in return," I felt tears flow down from my eyes. "It's the greatest thing that has ever happened to me. And I'm happy that even through such a short time… I'm able to feel this kind of thing."

"You won't regret bringing me back?" she asked tearfully. "It's because of me that you'll be separated from your love one."

"No, I won't," I hugged her tightly. "So please… Come back with me, Tsuki. Everyone is waiting for you."

"Inochi and Shi?"

"Yes."

The light around us shone brightly and I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, I'm now again in the room sitting at the edge of the bed. When I glanced at Tsuki, I saw her slowly opened her eyes and yawned. She then rose and smiled at me. I smiled back at her and turned towards Youhi.

"No…" I whispered. He just seemed to be sleeping. But I can't deceive myself. He really is gone. No… I can't stop the tears anymore. It kept coming and coming. I knelt beside him and cradled him in my arms. "Youhi… Youhi…"

"Asahi…" I heard Tsuki spoke, she also seems to be crying.

I just shook my head and hugged Youhi closer. He's really gone. It really hurts. He's gone. My Youhi. Then I remembered. Slowly, I faced Tsuki.

"I can now make my wish, can I, Tsuki?"

"Yes, you can, Asahi," Tsuki said. "One wish."

"I---" Suddenly, my body felt heavier. And again, pain rose in great waves within me. I gasped at my every breath. I shook my head. No… I need to do this. I need to make this wish.

"I wish for you to bring Youhi back to life," I said. I heard Inochi and Shi gasped as to what I said. I'm sorry Youhi. I really want to make this wish. I'm sorry I disobeyed you. "Since I also brought you back to consciousness, it's of the same price, right?"

"Yes," Tsuki sighed. "Ok then. Here goes."

There was a sudden stillness around us and then… I heard the most beautiful sound in the world. Youhi's breathe. He stirred in my arms. I cried as he slowly raised himself and looked at me.

"Asahi?" he turned towards Tsuki then the twins. "How come…"

I was about to answer him when suddenly the pain took over me. I fell towards him gasping for breath. I can't think clearly anymore. Something is pulling me in. Something…

"Asahi!" Youhi cried. "Why did you do this? You've wasted your wish to go back to your world! Now you won't---

"Tsuki! I'm also entitled with one wish, right?" he asked her frantically. "Then please. Hurry and take Asahi back to her world! Hurry before she dies here right now!"

"Youhi…" I whispered. "No. I want to be with you. To die here in your arms. I don't have anything to come back in my world anyway. Please. Let me---"

"Tsuki!"

"Ok then. I'm sorry, Asahi. I also don't want you to die."

Suddenly darkness engulfed me. I can't see anything. I can't hear anything. I tried to speak but no sound came. Youhi… Why… And slowly, I lost consciousness…

yay!at last!chapter 15!what?it's not yet the end?but...but...no!my 15-chapter mark!teehee,.,really,.,.,can't help it,,.,.teehee,.,.n_____n