Chapter 22: Reunion

This girl, who had introduced herself as Carrie Strata, lead me inside a house painted in the pattern of two different colors. She remained quiet as she held the door open for me. Stepping insde, there were many odd looking items scattered about the interior.

"Up there." She said, pointing up to the top of a polished wood staircase.

"Leo's up there?" I asked her.

"Yes. He might be in his room or still out on the balcony."

After taking her small jacket off, she left me and went upstairs. I took this opportunity to look around. Some of the items were strange and forgien, all these werid devices of the modern day. It made my head spin just trying to look at all of them at once.

I head footsteps aproching and I looked back to the staircase to see Carrie coming back down.

"He's in his room, asleep by the looks of it."

She then lead me up the staircase, but my mind was still swirling about when I had first awoken and saw the girl that was now leading me to Leo.

(Flashback)

"Carrie Strata...?" I manged to say.

She nodded slowly, offering out a hand. I took it and she pulled me upwards into a sitting position. Her hair was exactly the same color as mine and her eyes were the same too. This girl, she seemed to be almost like a mirror, which was starting to annoy me.

"Thank goodness. Welcome back, Elliot." She said, handing me my sword.

Huh? How did she know my name? "Where am I? Why did you have my sword? And more importantly how do you know me?"

"The last two can wait." She turned her eyes downwards for a moment, then looked back up at me. "You may find this hard to believe, but I've managed to bring you back useing a revival scripture, and, at present, you are in the year 2011."

I was utterly taken back by what she had just said. "2011? That can't possibly be right!"

"I assure you, it is." She reasured me. "At least you're takeing this better than he did when he asked me the same question a few weeks ago."

"Wait, who are you talking about?"

She sighed and lightly smiled. "My friend, who is also your servant, Leo."

That one moment felt longer than the acutal length of it. "Leo? You know him? Is he alright?"

"Yes, Elliot." She answered in a calm voice, her identical icy eyes looking right at me and a light blush coming across her face. "He saved me from certain death one day, but I soon discovered he was hurt. After he was healed, I discovered that he wasn't from this time and I offered him to stay at my house. He's been living with me and my older sister ever since."

I couldn't believe it. I can still remember fragments of that night at the mansion and the last time I saw Leo, he was unconscious beside the stone bed where he was to be killed. After I was engulfed by that endless dark void, I had no idea what had happened to him. Now, this girl tells me that he's with her in this other year and what I really wanted was to find Leo and make sure he's alright.

"Can you take me to him?" I asked carefuly.

"Yes, I certanly can." She said getting up. "It would be my pleasure, Elliot."

(End flashback)

"Here." She said in a more hushed voice as she stopped at a door and carefuly opened it.

I looked inside to see that the room was dimly lit, the curtains being closed and there was only one scorce of light. Up aginst one wall of the room was a bed, and lying there, sheets laid over him, was Leo.

"Leo." I breathed. He was asleep, just like Carrie had said, his glasses on the nightstand and a book next to him. I turned back to her to see her eyes to the floor.

"I'll, um, leave you here to talk to him. I'm sure that's what you want and I'm certain he'd be overjoyed to see you."

"Thank yo-" But she turned and walked away, back down the stairs and out of veiw. "Yeah, thanks." I said to myself in a more agrivated tone. I put that aside for now and walked into the room, closing the door behind me.

Silence soon fell upon the room, the only sound being a tiny squeek form the wooden floor as I walked over to Leo's bedside.

His pale face was shadowed by the dark shadows of the room, my mysterious servant who looked so peaceful laying there. Back before, and even now, I want to be here, by his side. I already owe this girl something for bringing me here, but I'm even more thankful that I can see Leo again.

"Leo." I said in a soft whisper. He muttered something in his sleep and turned over on his side, away from me.

I sighed and called his name again. "Leo."

This time, he stired and let out a small groan. "H-huh?" He slowly turned back around, rubbing his eyes. "Who's..."

His words trailed off and I knew that he saw me. I couldn't see the expresion on his face, but I knew he was stunned.

"Hey, Leo."

"Leo."

A heard a voice in the darkness, it sounded far away. Never the less, it sounded like it was calling me.

'Who is it?' It was a very familar voice.

"Leo." The voice called again.

"H-huh?" This time my voice broke through and I could feel my head resting on something soft.

'I must have fallen asleep again while reading. Stupid insomnia keeping me up at night.'

I was laying on my side and I could sense that someone was behind me. I turned over to face them, rubbing my tired eyes as I did so. "Who's...

I thought that the person calling my name was Carrie, but when my vision focused, my heart practicly stopped when I saw him standing before me; Elliot.

"Hey, Leo."

I couldn't even find the words to speak. It was like all the air had been knocked from my lungs and my words became trapped in my throat.

'This must be a dream...it has to be!' I was afraid to speak, as if that if I did, he would vanish. The only thing I could hear was my own shallow beathing as I strugled to coprehend this. This had to be nothing more than a dream; an illusion created by my own hopeless desires to see him again.

Elliot was dead. I knew that and I saw him on that horrific night, lying on the floor in a pool of blood. But, still, deep down, a part of me was saying that this was no dream.

"What's with you?" His gentle, rough voice asked as he sat down on the bed. "You should be glad to see me."

This voice...it was real. Tears stung the corners of my eyes, threatening to spill. And I could see his ice blue eyes that I lov- no, treasured. All my doubt was now gone, warm tears sliding down my face.

This was really happening.

"Elliot!"

The tears that fell from my eyes cascaded down my face as I bolted upright and threw myself at Elliot, wrapping my arms around him. My sight became blured, but all that mattered was the person in front of me, my master and dear friend, Elliot.

"Elliot...Elliot. Oh God...ELLIOT!"

I felt strong arms slowly return the embrace, making me burry my head in Elliot's chest.

"Leo. Calm down, it's okay." I heard him say over the sobs that escaped my lips. "Why are you crying?"

"E-Elliot!" I exclaimed, my voice shaky. "This is real, r-right? Are you really here?"

I heard him sigh. "Of course I am." At that moment, I felt a hand lift my head up, and then push my bangs away from his face. Elliot's icy eyes were looking directly at me. "You're eyes are still the same beautiful violet that I remember."

I blinked, and with a trembling hand, I lifted it and put my hand to his chest, above his heart. I could feel its steady beat underneath my fingers.

'This is real! Elliot is alive!'

"Yeah, you are here." There were no other words to describe what I was feeling right now. "But, Elliot, I still don't get it? How?"

He laughed quietly, then smiled. "That girl, I believe her name is Carrie Strata. She said she brought me back by useing a revival scripture. I'll admit, she's quite the girl, but it's annoying how much she looks like me."

'Carrie?' This was her doing, she made this possible. 'Oh, Carrie. I'll have to thank you later.'

"Elliot?" I asked carefuly.

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry." I answered, tears starting to choke my voice again. "If I hadn't made you become an illegal contra- no. It's all my fault. I'm the one who caused all that, and It should of been me who had died and not yo-"

"Leo." He interupted. "You have nothing to apoligze about. I'm the one who should say it."

"Vincent told me...that your message to me was, 'I'm sorry, Leo'. But I don't understand why?"

"So he did tell you." He said. "That's good. Anyhow, I'm saying it here and now. I'm sorry."

"No, Elliot." I tried to argue. "It was me who-"

"Stop it." His voice had become more tense. "I should have noticed it from the start. It was my fault for not realizing it sooner. It had nothing to do with you. But I made things right, so now we have to move forward."

I was hearing his voice, seeing his eyes, feeling his warmth, and that...this was all real and not a dream, I was sure of that.

I was overcome with extrime joy, because now, after so long, he had finally returned. I didn't want this moment to end, only go on into forever. This is the only place in the world I wanted to be in right now.

Right here, with Elliot by my side again.

"Okay, I'll see you later." I hung up the phone after I finshed talking to Sasha and put it back on the counter. I sighed, leaning back aginst the countertop.

It had been a few minutes since I had left Elliot alone with Leo and I was wondering if he had woken up yet. I knew he would be surprised at first, but then it was certain that he would become filled with joy. What I had done, well, it felt good and I;m glad that I went through with it.

I looked up at the ceiling, then closing my eyes and walking back into the living room. I was about to sit down on the couch, but I heard footsteps aproching.

I turned and saw that it was Leo, standing at the base of the stairs. "Oh, Leo."

"Hey." His answer was quiet as he rubbed his eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." He came closer to me and lightly smiled. "It's just...thank you."

'So Elliot told him after all.' I thought.

"Well, I had noticed that you had been feeling down about Elliot and...I couldn't stand to see you upset anymore." I explained to him. Thinking back, I was the one feeling guilty this time, starting to think that I shoukdn't of kept him in the dark about the scripture. "I'm sorry I never told you about my plan. It's just that, um, I couldn't tell you before because-" I was now frusterated with myself, and I turned away from him, shutting my eyes tightly. "I should of told you, and I don't know why I didn't! I should have known you would have suported me and I-"

I felt a pair of arms wrap around me, much to my surprise. Since there was only one other person in the room, I knew it had to be Leo. His body felt warm pressed against mine, and, much to my surprise, I found myself caught between astonishment and enjoyment.

"Leo?"

"Hush. I just want to thank you." I could feel his head resting against the back of my neck. "To do something like this, it's, well...no words can really describe it. You brought Elliot back, and, I thank you so much for that. It's made me so happy!"

I had the sudden urge to try and pry his arms off me, but the moment I lifted my hands, I thought about his words, and I let my hands fall back to my sides.

"I-It's nothing." I nervously answered, feeling my face turning a slight pink. "This was something I decided of my own accord; of my own will. This was all for y-you."

"Thank you so much, Carrie."

How long we stood there afterowrds, I really don't know, but it felt...so right. Comforting, warm, forgiving, tender; all of these.

I heard a creaking from upstairs and I looked up to see Elliot leaning against the railing, looking down at us. Judging by the smile on this face, I could tell he was amused and happy at the same time.

'This really is an amazing day.'

"What do you mean you don't like seafood?" I exclaimed.

"I mean I don't like seafood." Elliot said to me. "For one, I've always hated fish."

"Then what about lobster?"

"I hate that too."

"Argh! You are too stubborn!" With that, I stormed off angrily back to the pantry to get out a box of pasta. I didn't really care what kind, so my hand automatically reached for a box of penne pasta. With this in my hand, I walked back to the kitchen and set the box on the counter when I got there.

"What's this?" Elliot asked, glancing at the box.

"It's called pasta, and that's what we're having for dinner." I answered.

"That? Looks kind of tiny."

"I haven't cooked it yet!"

"Elliot, please don't bother her." Leo suddenly spoke up. We both turned from each other to him. In the living room, Leo was sitting on the couch reading a book, his attention clearly to the book in his hands.

"Well, first of all, she suggests we have fish, which I hate, then she brings this box of what she calls pasta."

"On the contrary, I think that it's very kind that she's preparing dinner for us." Leo said, turning a page of the book. "You can at least be nice to her. She's actually very glad to have you here, seeing as you are her ancestor after all."

I froze, remembering that I forgot to tell him about that. Elliot turned back around to look at me, and I just walked over to the fridge, pretending to look for something.

"Carrie?"

I had no choice but to face him. "It might have slipped my mind to tell you that I'm your descendent."

"You could of said that earlier you know!" Elliot shouted at me.

And with that, we kept arguing for a few more minutes before I finally gave up. Meanwhile, Leo silently sat by reading his book. Feeling defeated, I walked into the living room and sat down next to him.

"Geez. Now I know how you feel."

"You get used to it." He turned another page, but then looked at me and smiled. "Though, this is just like old times."

"Yeah, I guess so, according to you anyway."

Suddenly I heard a jangling of keys, and I mentally slapped myself. 'Crap.'

"Hey, Carrie, you down here?" I knew it was Sasha! "I bought some stuff for-"

Her words trailed off as me and Elliot turned our heads turned to face her. Leo kept on reading. My sister just looked at us, glancing at me and Leo, then at Elliot, then back to me.

"Carrie, who's this?" Both Sasha and Elliot asked in unison.

I took a deep breath before answering. "Sasha, this is Elliot, our ancestor. Elliot, this is Sasha, my elder sister."

"What did you do now, Carrie?" Sasha demanded.

"Hey, all I did was bring him back to life, okay? So what?" I exclaimed.

"When did you do that?"

"When you were at work. When else?"

"Okay, enough." She sighed and walked into the kitchen, looking at the box I had set on the counter. "You want this? But I thought that we were going to have fi-"

"Elliot hates fish, or any kind of seafood for that matter." I simply answered.

She blinked, then glanced at Elliot. "Whatever."

"I'll help you." I walked over to a cabinet and started looking for something, when Sasha came up behind me.

"Hey, I was going to mention this morning after I saw Leo, but I forgot." She whispered.

"About what, Sasha?"

"Since when did he have a tattoo on his chest? It looks odd."

"What? I don't know what you mean by-" No, I knew, and my breath caught in my throat when I realized it.

'No. She doesn't mean...but what she's saying...' My hands had started to shake now. 'No!'

"No!" I couldn't take it, I couldn't bare to hear it. I didn't care if they were staring at me as I ran up the stairs and to my room. I slammed the door shut behind me and turned down the lights, sliding down against the wood.

Tears cascaded down my face as I continued to cry, knowing the hidden meaning behind Sasha's confused words.

'It can't be! I haven't seen it on him, so why?' I didn't have the urge to sit on the floor anymore, so I turned on a song by Hammock and sat down on my bed instead. What I wanted to do right now is just be alone and listen to a song to soothe me. The song wasn't working though, only making me more upset.

'The incuse. It's still there.' I had never seen it before, but now, I guess it was not visible to us, and now it was visible again. I have no idea how far around it is, but the outcome is inevitable.

'It can't end this way, it just can't!' I screamed inside my mind as I kept on crying, pressing my hands against my teary eyes. 'I haven't even told him that...that I...love him...!'

'Why is she crying?' I asked myself.

She suddenly slipped a hand between us and rested it on my chest, above my heart. She continued to shake as she cried warm tears, and seeing her cry, and wondering why she had put her hand there, I knew why she was upset.

'She knows about the incuse.'

"Oh, Carrie." I felt my lips slightly brush against her ear as I whispered words to her. "I'm sorry. I don't know why or how, but, it's there now, and, I'm sorry for this."

That would explain why she's so upset. I don't know how she found out, but it was clear that it was making her this way. And, I don't like seeing her cry. With a sigh, I pulled away from her and tilted her head up with one hand.

Her eyes were full of tears, but she stopped her crying and looked at me as I held her head up in my hand.

"Le-" I cut her off as I kissed her, a blush exploding across her face. She seemed surprised as I looked at her with half closed eyes, but her body relaxed and her eyes closed. Her arms wrapped around my back as I closed my eyes too and we lost ourselfs in this one single moment.

After a moment of silence as we pulled away from eachother, and as I looked into her eyes which which still had tears on the edges of them, I could tell she was still in shock. I opened my mouth to say something, but I suddenly felt really tired, like all my strength was gone.

"Are you okay?" She quietly asked. I didn't answer her, feeling too tiered to be able to speak. Well, I hadn't really been able to sleep for a few days, being consumed by insomnia durring the night, which often resulted in falling asleep at random times durring the day.

Feeling sleep starting to decend on me, my head titled forward, touching Carrie's at the same time. "Hey, Leo. Look up at me."

I did as she said, and wearily, I glanced up to meet her blue eyes which were still glistening with traces of tears.

"I'm sorry...Carrie." I strugled to say, trying to keep my eyes open. "I've just been really-"

"Insomnia?" She inquired. "I've been noticing you seemed really tired these past few days."

"Uh, I guess." She smiled and gently put her hand on my shoulder, pushing me down. "Carrie?"

"Please try to get some sleep." She said, her voice a little quieter now.

"But, I don't know if I'll be able to."

She sighed, and before I knew it, she had laid down next to me. It was only then did I realize how tired she looked too, her eyes showing the same expresion.

"I haven't been sleeping well ether." She slipped her hand into mine, making my heart beat faster. "How about we fight it...togehter?"

She couldn't keep her eyes open any longer as they closed. Just looking at her peaceful form, it was like she had forgoten about the incuse imprinted on my skin. Speaking of that, it hadn't moved yet, but soon enough, it would, causing me extrime pain in the process. I remember that feeling still, the feeling of it's forward marks like they were being carved into my heart, burning me inside and it's pain gushing throughout me.

All the nights we tried and tried,

Even when she was crying, it was hurting me inside, and with this clock-like seal that had sealed my fate, it only made things harder. This wouldn't affect just me but everyone else; Sasha, Elliot, and Carrie. I think she realized this too because her eyes held an overwhelming sadness that didn't show on her face.

To find the starlight in your eyes.

I didn't want to lose her, that person who had been with me ever since the day I first found myself in this world. Her pure and noble personality was something that had left a permanent mark on me, and everything she did, every word that flowed from her lips, the flash of her eyes in the sun, it all circled back.

All the hours we cried and cried,

This girl was a pure being that I never wanted to lose. Finally, as sleep took over me, her hand felt so warm in mine, and I was glad that we had one moment of peace that could last forever.

'I love you...Carrie.'

You lost the starlight in your eyes.