***Lady Vaati ***
I stiffen at the title Ghirahim gives me. He laughs softly as he looks at me, a strange look in his eyes. I glance down at his hand, still on my thigh. Heat floods my cheeks as I turn away, my head lowered as I close my eyes, trying to ignore the placement of his hand.
I sense the corner of his mouth twitch up in a small smile. Suddenly, he removes his hand from my thigh. I almost sigh in relief, but I force myself to keep my breathing in check. I cannot allow him to see how he has gotten to me.
Ghirahim stands silently, his gaze never leaving me. I hear him murmur a quick spell in Demon, and I feel my wounds close up and heal. This time I do sigh in relief, opening my eyes as I lift my gaze to him, confusion and fear in my eyes.
He smirks as he holds my gaze. "Whyever are you afraid, my dear? I'm not going to hurt you! Just because I heal you doesn't mean that I will cause you more pain immediately after!" He pauses, chuckling. "Though I will say that there is a good reason for your fear." He snaps his fingers then, and the manacles around my wrists disappear in a flurry of diamonds. I blink in surprise as I lower my hands slowly, rubbing my irritated wrists. I do not miss what he implied in his words, however.
"What do you mean?" I ask quietly, half-wondering why exactly I asked him that. It's nothing good, that much I know.
"Instead of telling you, why don't I show you?" He suggests, offering me a hand.
I swallow hard, hesitating.
"Come," he urges, a strange glint in his eyes.
Biting my lip, I place my hand in his as I see no way out of this situation of mine.
Ghirahim's smile broadens, bordering on being a genuine smile as he draws me to my feet. True fear shakes me then, as that is hardly ever an expression I see on his face, and electricity runs down my spine. I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. Chuckling lowly, Ghirahim speaks a single word, and suddenly we are both standing outside of what appears to be a forest.
"What-?" I am unable to keep the word from leaving my lips as I glance around, disengaging my hand from Ghirahim's. I walk over to study a patch of red flowers, turning my back to Ghirahim. "These are beautiful!" I exclaim, turning around. "How did you-" I stop speaking as I notice that Ghirahim is gone. Vanished. Like he was never there in the first place.
My eyes widen as I glance around, searching for him. Fear chills through me as I don't see him. "G-Ghirahim?" I say on a whim. I receive no response.
"...Calypso..."
A whisper then, coming from the somewhat-foreboding forest behind me. An electric shock courses through me as I recognize the voice.
"Mother...?" I whisper, turning back to the forest. I shake my head. "No...No, it couldn't be her. Mother is dead. And she has been since I was a small child. It couldn't be possible..." I murmur, even as I take a few steps towards the woods.
"...Calypso..."
"Mother?" I call, increasing my pace, slight desperation in my voice. "Mother! Where are you?"
"...Calypso..." The whisper comes again, though it is a bit louder, almost as if I am getting closer.
"Mother!" I cry again, tearing through the dark trees with only moonlight to guide my way. The whispers never cease, and so I never stop in my searching, lost in the thought, the hope that my mother could be here.
I trip and fall to my hands and knees, tearing the bottom of my gown. I am up on my feet almost immediately after, however, ignoring the wounds that now adorn my palms and legs. "Mother!" I yell once more as I run through the trees, ignoring the branches whipping my face and the small scratches I attain.
Throughout all the time I run through the forest, I call for mother. But my mother says nothing back. I am forced to stop running as the burning in my lungs gets to an unbearable level. At that particular moment, I burst out into a clearing. Panting, I look around.
A figure cloaked in white stands a few paces in front of me. There is a radiance about her, illuminating the darkness. "Mother..." I whisper, "Is it truly you?"
My mother says nothing, though a small smile curls her lips as she holds my gaze. I walk forward slowly, studying the being in front of me. "I...I thought you were dead! How-?" I break off into a scream as blood runs down her face, almost like tears. As I watch, her eyes liquify into blood and stream down her neck and chest, staining the once-unmarred white of her gown.
My eyes widen and I clamp both hands over my mouth to muffle my scream. "Mummy! No!" I reach out a hand to grasp hers, but as soon as I do, the flesh peels away from her bones. I drop my hand in horror, gasping. She falls to her knees, her mouth open to speak, but no sound escapes her lips. A baritone laugh resounds throughout the area, strangely familiar.
"No..." I breathe out, kneeling down in front of my mum. I wrap my arms around her in an embrace, and against my will, I find tears tracing down my face. I rest my cheek on her shoulder, ignoring the fact that her body has gone limp. "No, mum, please don't go! I've seen you die once; I don't want to live through that again! Please...Don't leave me alone again..." Broken sobs make their way past my lips, and I cry into my mum's shoulder.