Well, this is sort of the last chapter. I'll explain more at the end. XD Anyway, the song is Before the Storm, by Nick Jonas and Miley Cyrus. (I don't actually like the Jonas Brothers or Miley Cyrus much, except I like Black Keys and Before the Storm.) So, before I bore you to death, read on. =]
I
know this isn't what I wanted
Never thought it'd come this
far
Just thinking back to where we started
And how we lost all
that we are
After about ten minutes later, the sky really opened up, and it started to pour. She was still out there, letting the rain wash over her skin, and now that her bangs were wet they nearly touched her eyes. She never realized how much she loved the way her toes grew numb when she was cold enough. She blinked. She could see her breath, and the sun was trying to fights its way out from behind the clouds. She was completely drenched by then, but she didn't care.
The rain was thundering in her ears, so she didn't hear the door open. She did hear it close, and she heard Ed call, "Kairi! You're going to get a cold! Come inside!" And she obediantly turned and followed him into her house. He took her hand when she got to the top step and led her inside, closing the door behind him.
We
were young and times were easy
But I could see it's not the
same
I'm standing here, but you don't see me
I'd give it all
for that to change
And I don't want to lose her
I don't want to
let her go
"What were you doing?"
She didn't say anything for a minute. "It's raining." As if that really explained it, but he didn't ask again. Leading her up the stairs, he took her into the bathroom and wrapped a towel around her.
"You're cold."
"I'm fine," she replied monotonously. "Stop worrying about me."
He wrapped both arms around her waist, pressing his forehead against her's. "You make it hard not to." A half smile crossed her lips and she rested her head on his shoulder, and he didn't seem to mind that the front of his shirt was getting a bit damp.
I'm
standing out in the rain
I need to know if its over
Cause I
will leave you alone
She walked downstairs, her fingers interlaced with his, and sat on the floor. He sat next to her, their backs against the coffee table, and followed her hazel eyes to the window. It was still pouring outside, and the wind was whipping around some straggly trees in the distance around. The gray skies cast shadows across the living room floor, and the sun had obviously lost its battle with the clouds.
"Where's Al at?"
"Probably spying on us."
"But he's such an angelic little guy."
"He's actually just a year younger than you."
"Oh."
Flooded
with all this pain
Knowing that I'll never hold her
Like I did
before the storm
There was silence for a few minutes, and then Ed asked, "So where do you want to go after we leave?"
She paused, resting her head on his strong shoulder, her eyes closed. "Find someone who wants to buy this house. Get a new one. Then find my brother."
"You have no idea where he is. Or what he even looks like by now."
"I know," she sighed. "It's a lost cause. But I have to try, don't I?"
"I guess you do." He paused. "Where do you plan on staying while you get your living arrangements worked out.
"Izumi's, if she'll have me. I hope Wrath's alright." Her brows creased slightly with concern, and her hazel eyes seemed distant, locked on the window, watching the rain. "I love the rain."
"I kinda noticed. You're pretty soaked."
And
with every strike of lightning
Comes a memory that lasts
Not a
word is left unspoken
As the thunder starts to crash
Maybe I
should give up
She glanced at the kitchen doorway, then called, "Quit hiding, Al. I can tell you're there."
Al walked out sheepishly and sat on the couch. "Sorry."
She laughed lightly. "Uh-huh."
"It's really boring around here," Ed announced.
"Fix the TV," she replied.
I'm
standing out in the rain
I need to know if its over
Cause I
will leave you alone
"What's wrong with it?" Al asked.
"Something with the wiring, maybe? I don't know."
Ed didn't even bother to get up and look at it. "I have a friend you'll probably want to meet. Her name's Winry; I think you'd like her."
Sting. "Can't wait." There was that Winry girl again. The rain beat on the window even more violently, and she announced, "The last time it rained like this here was a week before my mom died. She had to run outside and get her book from under the orange tree." Her announcement was met with silence. "I'm going to go put the pictures away. I want to keep some of them."
She got up and left before Ed could tell her otherwise.
Flooded
with all this pain
Knowing that I'll never hold her
Like I did
before the storm
Once she was upstairs, she took the only picture of her brother and clutched it in one hand while she set the box of pictures back in the closet and closed the door. She tried not to look at it; she didn't want to worry anymore.
And as soon as she closed the door to her parents' room, what should catch her eye but the lightswitch next to it? She flicked it on, and it offered dim light. A shadow was cast across her arm by something inside it. She squinted. It's still there? Amazed, she held the picture in one hand and used her other to support herself while she climbed over the rail. After making sure she had a firm footing, she held onto the banister with one hand and reached for the pen that was inside the light fixture; she'd gotten mad at her father once and had thrown his favorite pen into it because he was working too much.
Trying
to keep the light from going in
And the clouds from ripping out my
broken heart
We always say a heart is not whole
Without the
one who gets you through the storm
She was reaching, reaching, reaching... she almost had it... it was right there! Less than a centimeter away from her fingers. Just a little further! And that was when she lost her footing, and she felt the falling sensation in her stomach. She landed halfway on top of a table, and she knocked all the books off of it before she crashed to the floor. The photo had slipped out of her hand, and it fluttered lightly to the ground.
She had never felt a pain that deep within herself. She'd never been in that much physical pain, and it hurt so badly that she couldn't breathe, let alone speak. Ed had heard it, and he was around the corner in a split second, Al hot on his heels. "What-?"
He tried to pick her up, but she let out a small cry so he didn't move her. Her breathing was in quick, shallow gasps, and her hazel eyes were glazed with pain. "Okay, okay- uh- where does it hurt?"
She didn't respond, and her breathing was slowing. She writhed on the ground, and Al asked, "Brother, what's wrong with her?"(1)
Standing
out in the rain
Knowing that it's really over
Please don't
leave me alone
Ed started to lift up her tanktop, exposing her stomach, which she was covering with her arms. Al was about to call him a pervert, but when he pushed her arms off of her stomach, Al saw why. Her entire midriff was bruising, and it wasn't just a shade or two darker. It was indigo and deep purple and black, and the bruises were spreading impossibly quickly.
Ed's hands tightened into fists and he pulled her shirt back down. His voice came out dark: "There's nothing we can do, Al."
"But-"
"She's bleeding on the inside."
A small sound escaped her, like a grinding in her throat, and Al saw Ed's face streaked with emotional pain as her breathing slowly came to a stop, and her heart ceased beating.
I'm
flooded with all this pain
Knowing that I'll never hold you
Like
I did before the storm
It was two hours later, after the storm let up, and Ed and Al were standing outside in front of her freshly dug grave, right beside the fake one. Al tried not to say anything, and Ed's face was racked with grief. Unable to stand the silence any longer, Al asked, "Brother?"
"What, Al?"
"We should leave now."
"I know."
It took a few minutes for him to tear himself away from her resting place, but he finally turned and walked away, his brother beside him and the rest of a long journey ahead.
Like
I did
Before the storm
(1) Her death itself was faster than it would have actually been, sorry. It was caused by internal bleeding, which was, more specifically, caused by her spleen rupturing when she hit a table.
Yes, I am a cruel, evil, heartless monster who enjoys killing her characters. XD
But I am going to write an alternate ending because I might be posting another story and Kairi would be a part of the plot. So the next chapter is an alternate ending, and the chapter after that is Deleted Scenes and Character Info. Review, and read the next chapters, please!
