Chapter 17
Ahri woke up screaming. She blinked. The truck was gone. "It must have been a dream." she mumbled to herself as she got out of bed. Ahri froze. Looking around at her surroundings, they seemed oddly... familiar. As she looked down, something horrifying clicked in her head. This was... HER bed. This was HER den. "No, no, oh God, please no." the kitsune begged as she ran out the door. Outside, she emerged outside her home by the Institute of War. Panic grew in her heart, and she wandered through the halls, hoping that something will prove that this was simply a dream. She began to run, and suddenly collided with someone. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry..." She started, when she realized who she ran into. "Oh, hello Ahri!" Wukong cheerfully greeted. "I'm on my way to buy some hot buns! I just finished training. Do you want to tag along?" Ahri felt around in her heart. Nothing. Normally in the past, Ahri wouldn't have hesitated to say yes, but there was absolutely no passion for the Monkey King now. She shook her head as tears threatened to fall. "Not today, Wu. I have other matters to attend to." The monkey seemed to not notice her distress. "Alright, suit yourself," he said, bounding off. "You're missing out!" he called behind him, playfully. Ahri quietly turned around, and made her way back to her den. She ignored any looks, stares, and glares and made it back outside the Institute of War. She closed the door, collapsed on the bed... and let the flood loose. Her heart-wrenching sobs echoed through her fox-den. She felt nothing for Wu, she truly did love Ryou. But he's gone now. She couldn't bear living in a world without him. She couldn't take the greedy stares from other men, not without him. She could NOT bear to be looked with hate everywhere she went. "Ryou... Ryou..." she cried. "Come back to me..." Ahri cried her heart out before sleep overtook her.
Ahri awoke to the sun shining through the windows. She closed her eyes again. Wait- windows? Her eyes snapped open, and she looked around where she was: a hospital bed. She felt a weight on her leg and looked down- Ryou was sleeping next to her bed, holding her hand. He looked comical: his head was wrapped in bandages and his arm was in a sling, but that mattered to Ahri little at the moment. Unable to control her joy, she leaned over and smashed her lips against Ryou's, startling him from his sleep. When they broke for air, Ryou exclaimed, "AHRI!?" He hugged her tightly, well, the best he could with one arm, making her blush. "Tyr, Sven, and all them stopped by to visit earlier. I thought I was about to lose you." "Same here," she replied. "What happened?" "Well, I jumped in front of you to shield you from the impact..." He bared his chest, exposing his bruised ribs. "Luckily the truck driver braked in time, so he didn't kill us. But when I was hit, I slammed into you... And you kinda fell backwards... And hit your head on the pavement," he finished, hesitantly. Ahri glared at him. "So you're telling me I'm here because you slammed into me and gave me a concussion?" she asked tremulously. "Guilty as charged," Ryou admitted, shamefully. He braced himself for the beating of a lifetime, but opened his eyes when Ahri embraced him tightly, with tears running down her face. "You asshole... I thought you were gone forever!" she sobbed. The fox girl froze when Ryou wiped away her tears, and his lips met hers. From there, all her sadness melted away...
Ahri had been out for two weeks, so it took a week of recovery for her body to be healthy enough to walk. By the time she was discharged, she was bouncing off the walls with energy. From there, they began to make their way home, hand in hand. "You know," Ahri started. "I never did regret falling on you," she said, attempting to make him embarassed. "Well, I don't regret falling FOR you," he shot back, causing her to blush. "Did you really have to say something like that, idiot?" she muttered. "Hey, I'm not the one who was crying in her sleep, calling, 'Ryou! 'Ryou!'" Flashbacks of her dreams popped up in her head. Ahri flushed red and punched him in the side. "Shut up, moron!" she shouted. "Ow!" Ryou complained. "My ribs are still bruised you know." "Hmph," Ahri huffed. Ryou sighed, "Why do I put up with you?" Ahri twirled around, grabbed his arm, and stared up into his eyes. "Because you love me, right?" she chirped. Ryou couldn't help but smile. "Yeah. Oh? It's raining," he remarked as it began to drizzle. "But there not a single cloud in the sky!" Ahri said, wondrously. Ryou looked at her. "Do you know what it's called when there's rain with a clear sky?" he asked. "No, what?" she replied, curious. Ryou smiled. "They call it the Fox's Wedding." Ahri beamed like a diamond, and stood up on her tiptoes to kiss him. Afterwards, she nuzzled her face into his neck, and said, "Let's make a lot more memories too, okay?"
It's done... my first fanfic's finally finished! I would not have made it this far if it wasn't from all the support and criticism you guys have shown me. Thanks for enjoying this story, because I sure as hell enjoyed writing it for you. I'm going to improve my fanfics, and try to be a good author for you guys. Wish me luck, and thank you all! :D
Big thanks go to:
Shaw Fujikawa, for your awesome and through critique,
My friends of whom I got the inspiration of my characters from,
And of course, Riot for making this wonderful universe.