Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return; to obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivilent Exchange.
For all that I've lost, I haven't gained a single thing back; for in less than 24 hours, I had gained love, and lost it. After that, nothing could ever be the same again.
There's just too much that time cannot erase.
~~~~~K~e~t~s~o~~~~~
Following the small groups of other survivors towards what seemed to be a city that hadn't been destroyed, I caught the sign which read "[insert number of miles here] to Boston". Remembering that Rachael's mom lived in a place called "Boston", I strode toward the city with a shadow of a smile; maybe after I delivered her to her mother, Sora and I could *somehow* get off this hell of a place. Sora had stopped abruptly in front of the crimson vein-covered sign, and I craned my neck back to him, confused.
"Sora? What're you-" I started, but stopped when Sora reached up and grasped a small piece of the crimson red vein hanging off the sign.
Rachael, who was clutching my hand tightly, asked in monotone, "What happened to it?"
Sora crushed the vein in his hand, and red dust fluttered in the wind from the former vein-like ... thing, "It's dying..." Sora and I acknowlaged simultainiously.
~~~~~M~e~g~a~n~~~~~
After several silent moments of staring at Aozora with the most shocked expression I could muster, and I finally choked out, "Anything else you need to tell me?!"
The blonde beside me shrugged slightly, causing the big door to shudder under the sudden movement, and Aozora got a look that made it seem he had decided not to shrug anymore, "Well... yes."
I gave him a look signaling for him to continue, and he obliged carefully, "Uhm, since we're probably gonna die anyway, might as well..." Aozora trailed off awkwardly.
"Get to the point, "I growled through gritted, chattering teeth.
He frowned, "In... my time... You would tell me stories when I was a baby. About the Heartless, about Sora, about you... But you never finished your story. You always said that the story was yet to end... and... I would frequently find you crying in your room, though I couldn't figure out why."
I had a suspicious feeling I knew why I had been crying, and I didn't like it.
I never said I’d lie in wait forever
If I died, we'd be together now
I can’t always just forget him
But he could try
"Well... I kinda snuck on yer computer once... and... read some stuff, "he coughed, and it sounded oddly like 'aile'. I scowled.
"Well, I figured out why you were crying! And... OblivionAngel is a State Alchemist's title, Megan, "The blonde said bluntly.
For a moment, I hadn't realized what he'd just said for a brief moment, then it sunk in, "Why'd you join the military? And... how'd you get to Central in the first place?"
Aozora had to resist the urge to shrug while on the big door, "In my time, the worlds are infinately connected... And... I foolishly thought that military held information I would need for... Human Transmutation." He was silent after that, apparently wanting me to put the pieces together.
At the end of the world
Or the last thing I see
You are never coming home
Never coming home
Could I, should I
And all the things that you never ever told me
And all the smiles that are ever, ever, ever
Our silence was deafening; I didn't feel like voicing my thoughts, and Aozora was simply studying my blank expression minutely. I blinked. Once, twice, three times... The silence was starting to creep me out. Finally, I lowered my voice to a whisper - I could hardly speak, and not just because of the enshrouding cold.
"You... tried to bring Kaze back, didn't you?" I almost said 'him' instead if 'Kaze' in fear I would start crying, but my mind subconsciously longed to let his name roll off my tongue again. I ignored the urge.
Aozora nodded, looking somewhat mad, and I figured it was self-inflicted, "Didn't work. And it never will." He grimaced.
"Oh..." I said, and caught the somewhat disappointed tone lacing my voice; I pursed my lips together stubbornly. If I cried here, my tears might freeze before rolling off my face.
Get the feeling that you’re never
All alone and I remember now
At the top of my lungs, in my arms he dies
He dies
Aozora continued uneasily, trying desperately to ignore that sad tone of my voice, "The Gate... is Kingdom Hearts. And... if any of you cared to search the other side of the ginormous white door, you would've seen that the Door to the Light was on the other side of Kingdom Hearts."
I blinked a few more times, hardly aware of the cold biting at whatever exposed skin it could seek out.
~~~~~R~i~k~u~~~~~
Stumbling after the other silver-haired teen came a short brunette girl grapsing an assault rifle tightly in her arms. The girl promptly hit the boy over the head with her assualt rifle, and his arms shot up to shield his head - or maybe his hair; he looked like the kind of person who would adore their 'precious' locks of hair - from further abuse. I simply blinked at the pair as they started smacking eachother senselessly with their respective weapons, and winced slightly with each connection.
"Ow! Piku, what'd I do now?!" The silver-haired teen exclaimed when the girl backed off. For the most part.
The brunette girl - Piku? - doubled back in an instant, kicking the fallen boy in the shins, and his face contorted into what seemed like the following smilie: ;-; Piku just glared at him.
"STERLING, I hate you."
The other silver-haired teen - Sterling...? - frowned deeply, "Silver!" He corrected.
"You look like a Sterling," Was Piku's icy reply, coupled with a death glare.
"I wanna quote myself, but I won't."
A pause.
"I will now. And you look like a midget, Piku." Silver finished with a wide grin.
Piku lunged at Silver again, and I witnessed yet another bloody slaughter of ... blood, twitching slightly all the while.