Crash. A body, limp on the ground, a smug smile imprinted within its pale face. Eyes shut tightly from the world, lost in another existence where people do not ask of your past. Goose-bumps still risen on the top layer of skin, shallow breathing, small beats of the heart. Slowly, slower, slowed, stopped. The heartbeat stops, the breathing stops, the goose-bumps cease to rise.
A dream again? A dream again! Oh, wonderful day that I must once again venture into the unknown, hidden in the depths of a mind not my own. Hmm... it is not the same, is it? Oh, Catayama, how I wish you were here to experience such a brilliant world. The trees, they shine with the unseen light of the silver rays of the moon. And the raindrops, they beat with the beats of a thousand drummers! Can you feel the wind against your face? It whips lightly against the faces of the young. Though, alas, you are not here my friend, and I. . . I am split in two. For, what is a warrior without her trusty demon by her side? What is a fighter without her sword and shield? What is a fire wielder, without the fire that burns brightly within her soul? She is nothing, my friend, nothing. This place means nothing to me. . . when I am nothing.
"Choose. . . choose two."
Another voice. Not the same. What was I thinking? This place is not the same. Actually, it changes right now, before my very eyes. A familiar scent drifted towards me, and I sniffed it. Blood? Yes. . . blood. Peering around, I see nothing, though, I still hear the voice.
"Choose two!"
"Choose two? Two of what?"
"Only choose two. You must choose two."
People! I see people! They form around me. Staring into nothingness, but still they are there, and they. . . they are people I know. I see Ganyo. I see Tahome. I see Catayama, though she stands in the distance, upon a platform, chained, unable to move. There is still blood on the ground. All over the ground. It flows from the bodies of people. It comes up to me knees, and it flows from the bodies of Tahome, of Ganyo, of two cloaked figures, of figures in the distance.
"Choose two."
Tahome, Ganyo, two cloaked figures, other beings. They all stand before their dead bodies. A clone, perhaps? I must choose two. Choose two for what? To save? Yes, to save. I will not choose!
"Choose two now. Save two."
". . . I will never choose, shadow of Satan!"
Lunging and stabbing myself through the heart, my own sweet, warm blood rushing down my chest. Though, more stinging pains. I feel more stinging pains, and with the slight tilting of my head, I see them all. Tahome, Ganyo, the beings. They are all stabbing me to death as well! They hate me! Leave me alone! Let me die of my own accord. . . .
"Choose two."
This oddly seems familiar, though I have no memory of this. This voice. . . it tells me to choose to? To of what? I see people! Choose two people? Am I to choose to people? For what, though. To save them. I see. . . I see the blood from their bodies. It stains my skin, and burns my flesh. The blood of those I love.
"I have to choose two. . . ."
I lunged, reaching out a hand to Tahome, and another to Ganyo. They took my hand, and we all smiled, but it all happened so fast. Falling deeper. The ground began to crack beneath them, and all I could do was watch as the fell into the blankness, yelling my name in spite.
"Tahome. . . Ganyo. . . come back to me."
My legs gave way, and I cried softly, for what seemed like days. Nothing happened. I could see nothing, hear nothing, and then everything went blank.
"Choose two."
Two? A voice. . . it tells me to choose two. There are people here, people I know, could it mean choose two of them? I see the blood, and I feel it as well. It eats away at my body, but it is so warm. Must I choose two? Yes, I must. Who to choose? Why choose? To save them. I understand now. I must save them, and I must save only two. I see a man. . . and he is Tahome. I see another man. . . and he is Ganyo. I see two cloaked figures. . . and who they are remains unknown. I see beings. . . and they know me, but I know not of them. They laugh as I sort out my mind. With their mockery came a vision. I had this dream before, or so the vision told me. They all had stabbed me to death, and I just watched, taking the pain. They killed me. Two did not stab me.
Turning my head, I went to look towards those two. Two cloaked figures, hidden within the crowd of gawking beings. One wore a blue cloak, and the other, a black cloak, old and tattered, yet oddly familiar. Walking forward, towards those figures shrouded in darkness, I touched their shoulders, nodding, doing all this subconsciously. They nodded in return, and everyone else died, slowly, rotting away before my eyes, but all I saw were those two figures.
"You have chosen well."
Everything was gone now, except my body and the bodies of those two people. They slowly removed their hoods, their eyes staring endlessly at me. Their bodies outlined forever within the edges of my mind. That moment, that single moment, forever torturing me to the end of all eternity. Only one moment to ruin my life. I chose those two, and as they slowly removed their hoods. . . I watched blankly. . . they were. . . and forever would be. . .
I awoke, crying my eyes out, pain etched into my very being. Pain was a part of me now. . . a part I did not welcome any longer. I called out, but there was no answer. They were all asleep. I opened my eyes, then saw Catayama still staring across the hall, straight at me. She was broken too. . . just like me.
"It was. . . " I whispered, still feeling the warmth of my tears upon my face, running down and freezing upon my cheeks, "Akaii and Siakin."