Chapter Eight: Crimson

The Ryouga & Ukyou Chronicles, Volume One

Disclaimer:
Ryouga Hibiki and Ukyou Kuonji are not my creation and are both copyright of Rumiko Takahashi. I’d like to thank Takahashi-sensei for her great series. I once again claim no credit for their creation, however, some of the characters are my creations (aka Migi & Hidari, Ryu, Prince Ito, Ukuji, Kangeio, Shogu) and I do claim them, so there!

I

Ukyou sighed to herself as she took in her dismal surroundings. The room was lavishly furnished, complete with a king sized bed with red silk covers, beautiful oaken furniture, and all the finer things one would normally associate with royalty. It was cold, though. There was that bleak desperation hanging heavy in the air that seemed to wipe clear the crimson ambiance of this place. After mauling Ryouga, Ito and his goons had taken her to a tower in the center of the valley. It was quite a spectacle to behold. The tower was huge, and it appeared to be made out of crystal, a fact which made it rather dazzling to behold from the outside, especially during the daytime. Ukyou of course thought that was just perfect. Even someone as prone to getting as hopelessly lost as him couldn’t miss it. At least, she hoped not.

Ryouga. Ukyou rolled onto her stomach on the lavish bed and ran that name through her head for the tenth time in as many seconds. She had seen a side to him today that she supposed she knew was always there, but never acknowledged it. He was angry. No, he was beyond angry. He had reached some special place, between fury and madness, where he lost control of himself. He’d tried to save her. She closed her eyes as the words ran through her over again.

She is mine now...

I won’t let you take her away from me!

The flash of light. The smell of burning flesh and ozone. The sickening sound of bone and bark colliding and crunching. The blood. Oh god, the blood. His hand, reaching desperately out. For her.

Ukyou rolled over onto her side and closed her eyes tighter, but was still unable to stop it. The single streak of moisture that rolled down her soft cheek spoke more about her inner feelings that a thousand words could. She wiped it away angrily. Why was she crying? What good could something so
(natural? human?)
stupid possibly accomplish? Ever since this trip started, she’d cried more than she had in her entire life. She had no idea why, but she did. It was almost as if the emotions she’d kept in tight check for so long were suddenly free to run amok within her and treat her psyche as they willed. She hated it. She hated crying. She hated to show she was weak. Warriors don’t cry, she reminded herself dryly. It was at that moment that he walked in.

Ukyou stared at Ito for a moment, her hateful, red eyes locking with his brown, cold, emotionless ones. Neither gave any indication of backing down. The young man with the white shirt and vest followed him in shortly, standing to the side obediantly and saying nothing.

"What do you want from me now, you bastards?" she said with dark anger. Ito stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, those leaves still mysteriously falling about his cloaked form. He strode over and looked down at her with an impassive glance.

"Stop crying." He said in an emotionless tone. "It will not accomplish anything."

She felt that pure anger rising in her chest and angrily she heaved a pillow at him. One of the delicate leaves began to glow, and it shot forward suddenly, like a bullet. It tore the soft, silken pillow in half in midair, and the splay of feathers and cloth fell to the ground. Ukyou sat back on the bed, slightly humbled by his demonstration of chi mastery. But only slightly.

"I came to wish you a pleasant stay here in Shurkashuuton Tengoku." He said emotionlessly. "You will spend most of your adult life here, so I suggest you try to make the best of it."

"Why are you doing this to me?" she said bitterly. Then, his eyes broke the lock between the two, glancing away from her and out into nothing.

"I know it is something you will not enjoy." Ito said in his same tone. "But, you will grow accustomed to it, in time. You will have to. Intrinsically mankind is a creature of survival. You will adapt, as all have before you."

"I will never ‘grow accustomed’ to being kidnapped from my friends and held hostage here by a group of pompous, holier-than-though bastards like you." Ukyou snarled. Ito raised an eyebrow at her, but showed no other signs of emotion.

"Spare me the wrath of the righteous." He said absently. "Many before you have said the same, but the same end inevitably comes of it all."

The coldness of his response shocked her slightly. He was worse than Ryu. Then again, she supposed Ryu had never kidnapped anyone. Well, she supposed. Ito continued to speak.

"As for why, it is the law. It must be obeyed."

"It’s a ridiculous law!" Ukyou shouted. Ito showed no signs of a reaction. "What about the people who enter the valley? Don’t they have a right to know the laws before they enter?"

Ito looked back at her. "Rights and the law are two separate entities. We live our laws here. It is all we know. It is all we have. To disregard it when convenient is not an option."

"What is so damned important about the law, anyway?" she shouted. Her voice was full of desperation. Her mind flashed images of Ryouga against that tree. His weakened hand reaching out for her. His eyes, his sad, sad eyes. She had to get away. She had to go to him, to make sure he was safe. If he died....

She tightened her mind, pushing that thought away from her collective psyche. He couldn’t die. He just couldn’t, because...well, just because. If he died, she had no idea what she would do. For the first time, she realized this. Without him, what would she do?

"The law is absolute because it provides stability." Ito was saying as she pondered those disturbing thoughts in her mind. "It is proof of civilization, advancement, and logical security. Without the laws, there would be no justice. Only pure, seething anarchy. A complete collapse of the social entity. The laws of our people have reigned here for ten generations, and I will allow no collapse of structure during my reign."

"Please." She said suddenly, and her voice surged with emotion unlike any she’d spoken with before. "You have to let me go. The man you attacked, he’s...very special to me. I have to make sure he’s okay. He...needs me." She looked down as she said the last part, her mind noting the surprise with which she reacted to her own words. Did he need her?

"I cannot. His needs are inconsequential." Ito said, not flinching from her unwavering glare.

"How can you be so heartless?" she shouted, her eyes burning hot with moisture again. Tears of sorrow, loss, and fury. Ito looked away from those biting hard eyes.

"I can be no other way." he said simply, almost robotically.

Ukyou fell silent, knowing she had no answer for that. Ito strode out of the room slowly.

"Please try to understand." the other boy said, finally speaking up. "Ito doesn't do this because it brings him enjoyment. It is just the way things are."

Ukyou raised her head and stared daggers into the man's heart. His face was kind, but she could sense something off about him, something straining deep below the surface of his quiet eyes. It scared her to the core of her being.

"But why does it have to?" she said, bitter and confused. "I don't understand."

The man smiled sadly, almost remorsefully. "You are not the first to come here, you know. There were others, many like you. They were young and full of fire and passion, angry at us and this paper world we trapped them in. They too fought back, tried to escape, to rejoin the world they loved."

"What happened to them?" Ukyou said, a growing sense of dread in the back of her mind.

"The penalty of attempting coup against the Prince is execution. I did my duty, each and every time." he said solemnly.

"You killed them?" she whispered, shocked. Death was a concept that until recently, despite her tumultuous life in Nerima, was a foreign concept.

"Yes, I did." he sighed. "And I told them each what I tell you now. Please do not try to change this situation you are in. Better to live in a cage than die in one." So said, he turned and walked out, closing the door behind him.

Ukyou could hear the heavy locks sliding into place outside. Sniffing, Ukyou curled her arms around her legs, pushing her knees to her chest, and put her head down. Then, she did something she'd thought she'd never need to do. She prayed, to anything that would listen.

Oh, God, her mind whispered into the great emptiness of everything, please let him be okay...

II

Ryouga’s eyes opened slowly, gently monitoring the amount of blazing, painful sunlight they allowed to creep in. He winced as the rays dazzled his vision, and he struggled to sit up. Pain lanced through him, and he felt as if he were on fire with every movement. He fought against it and struggled up to a position where he was leaning against a cracked tree. He raised a hand to his throbbing head and shook, trying to clear the confusion away. What the hell had happened to him?

Glancing around, he saw Hiroshi and Daisuke kneeling by his side. A few feet behind them, Ryu was looking at the huddle, and he was standing in a small, shallow hole, clutching a shovel.

"See, you idiot!" Daisuke snarled to the samurai. "I told you he wasn’t dead!"

"Well," Ryu said emotionlessly, "He could have been."

"He was breathing, moron!" Daisuke added, scowling. Ryu shrugged and tossed the shovel in his hand aside. He came over and kneeled down. His eyes were cold and hard.

"Hibiki-san." He said sternly. "Where is Ukyou at?"

Ryouga’s eyes widened. Ukyou. She was gone. He remembered now, the images flooding back into him like a bolt of lightning. The Dragon Column technique had brushed him aside like a fly.

"Ukyou..." he whispered. Hiroshi and Ryu exchanged concerned glances.

"That’s right, Ryouga." Daisuke said slowly. "You know. Brown hair, nice eyes, hot body, decent breas-"

Daisuke’s commentary about Ukyou’s...qualities...were cut short by Ryu, who promptly smacked him on the head with his sheathed katana. Daisuke yelped in pain, the rubbed his injured cranium ruefully.

"He know who she is, moron!" Ryu shouted. "Can you no see he is full of emotional distress?"

"You didn’t have to give me a concussion to tell me that, you freak!" Daisuke snarled back, clenching his fist in anger. Hiroshi sighed and shook his head.

All of this was lost on Ryouga. All he could think of was one thing. He had failed. He tried to protect her from those four seasons people, and they’d crushed him like dry pine needles. He remembered her face, her sweet, beautiful face, staring at him with horror as consciousness slipped from his grasp. He put his head into his hands and sighed deeply. She was gone, spirited away from him. There was nothing he could do to save her. Desperately he fought to keep his tortured emotions in check, to strengthen himself against the madness and sorrow, but his mind continued to tear into him like a savage beast.

He could never see her again. He was helpless. Against all the struggling, all the fighting, and all the strength he mustered, Ryouga Hibiki began to cry.

Daisuke and Ryu, who were now gripping the collars of each other’s clothes, stopped. Hiroshi looked at Ryouga, amazed. The whole world seemed to stop in that instant. Ryu glanced at Daisuke, then released him, the dark-haired high school student doing the same. The three men sat and watched the strongest man they knew cry before them. It was a very emotional moment. Hiroshi had never expected to see it in his entire lifetime. Neither had Ryouga, who suddenly realized what he was doing. Raising his head from his hands, he looked up at the three guys who were watching him. Concern strolled across their faces like a funeral march.

"She’s...gone..." Ryouga choked out. The three men looked at each other. Despite the fact that his statement was blatantly obvious, no one dared say so. Not even Daisuke, who had the tendency to do things like that often.

"I tried to save her..." he continued. "But, I failed." Suddenly he lashed out and grasped Hiroshi by his black school uniform, shaking him viciously.

"She needed me! I failed her, Hiroshi! I failed her when she needed me the most!" He shouted in desperation. Hiroshi fought desperately shake him free, but with no luck.

"You(shake)didn’t(shake)fail(shake)her!" he said jerkily as he was jarred by the emotionally distraught boy. Slowly, Ryouga released him, shame in his eyes.

"I...I’m s-s-sorry, Hiroshi." He muttered. Hiroshi smiled weakly and patted him on the shoulder.

"S’Okay." He said reassuringly, trying his damnedest to sound cheerful. "You’re upset. I don’t blame you." He stood and looked at everyone around him. It was time to take charge. Hiroshi needed a plan. He looked back down at Ryouga and his tear-streaked face as he spouted off the whole story, about their need to maintain their preciously moronic laws, and he ended with the Dragon Column Technique. Hiroshi shuddered at the thought of something like that tearing into him.

God knows we need a plan, He thought dryly. Then, it hit him.

"So, these scumbags are rules sticklers, are they?" He said slyly, his plan formulating. The others exchanged worried glances. In a lot of ways, Hiroshi reminded Ryouga of Nabiki Tendo. That could be a disturbing thing indeed. Hiroshi began to rummage through his backpack, praying he’d remembered to bring something. The others watched on with interest. Suddenly, he withdrew a small, rectangular, black object and a small address book.

"What is you doing?" Ryu said, watching intently. Hiroshi smiled slyly and pressed a button on the small object, and it unfolded. Apparently, it was a cellular phone. Hiroshi opened the book and began flipping through it. His eyes scanned the pages intensely, then brightened as he came across the phone number he’d been looking for.

"They want to play by the laws, then that’s fine with me." Hiroshi chuckled. Daisuke and Ryouga exchanged curious glances.

"Who’re you calling?" Daisuke demanded. Hiroshi smiled deviously.

"My lawyer."

"Oh, that'll help." Daisuke said sarcastically. "We gonna sue them or something?"

"When I get done," Hiroshi said, chuckling, "They'll wish I had."

III

Nabiki Tendo was in heaven. Actually, she was in the bath. Still, it was one of the things she could most closely equivocate heaven to. Nearby, her cellular phone lay silent. Sighing, she slipped further into the warm, soothing water. There were few things more relaxing to her after a long day of business (i.e. extortion and blackmail) than a long, soothing bath. Of course, her business contacts were well aware of this fact, and none dared call her to interrupt during this precious time. So, when her phone began to ring, she was sufficiently surprised. Sitting up in the bath, she grabbed the phone irritably. Whoever this was, it had better be pretty damn important.

"Hello, Nabiki Tendo." She said, annoyed. "What is it, and it had better be important."

"A fine hello to you too, Tendo." A male voice said smoothly over the line. At first, she scowled. Not many people had the audacity to call her just 'Tendo'. Certainly not anyone that knew her business number. Well, there was one person, but he hadn't called her in a long time. Or so it would seem.

"This isn't who I think it is, is it?" she said, sitting up abruptly from her comfy lounging position. The man on the other side of the conversation chuckled.

"Ah, so I see you remember me." Hiroshi said. Nabiki smiled slyly and laid back in the bath, letting the warm water swallow her body up to her neck.

"I seem to vaguely recall knowing someone that was stupid enough to talk to me without showing the proper respect. But, it’s been so long since he last decided I was worthy to speak to. He’s so rude about things like that." She teased, but there was something in his voice that sounded very serious. She began to wonder if it was really Hiroshi. Serious wasn’t usually his business. "What can I do for you today?"

Hiroshi chuckled his trademark chuckle. "Oh, I can think of lots of things, but none of them would be appropriate in this context. I think your father would probably require us to be married."

Ryouga and Daisuke exchanged confused glances. Daisuke shrugged. He had no idea who the hell his friend was talking to. Ryu seemed...well, he was Ryu.

Nabiki felt herself simultaneously needing to gag and impressed by his usualy bold and reckless method of addressing his betters. She was usually annoyed by her business associates saying things like that, but then again, so few of them did. Not that she made much effort to be attractive, however. Certainly, it came in handy, and she herself thought she was in excellent shape. Still, money was worth more than looks. Enough money could make anyone beautiful, she surmised.

"However, there is one thing in particular I need from you." Hiroshi said, his voice taking on the serious demeanor so uncharacteristic of him. "I need you here. We have a little legal problem we’re going to need that lovely mind of yours to help us with."

"Well, I’m stunned." Nabiki said. "Are you asking me for help?"

"No," Hiroshi said with resignation. "I’m hiring you. You’ll be well paid for your services."

Nabiki smiled. He was the same old Hiroshi. He knew exactly how to get her attention. "Ah, you always knew the way to my heart." She teased. "But I thought you were hiring me. Where's the money going to come from? I thought I still had all of yours."

Hiroshi scowled and cleared his throat uncomfortably. He could almost hear her smiling on the other end. It annoyed him like little else could. "Look, I'd rather not talk about that, okay? Let's just forget the past."

"Whatever you say." she mused. "So long as you can cough up the cash, I'm willing to forget it. so, now, where are you, anyway?"

"I dunno." Hiroshi said. "Soem kind of wacko valley out in the middle of nowhere. Shur...something. I think it's called the Valley of the Four Seasons."

Nabiki scowled. "Never heard of it." She said.

"I think it's surrounded by some kinda funky magic mist stuff. Just ask one of those martial artists you have hanging around you all the time. I’m sure one of them knows." Hiroshi said.

Nabiki nodded. If no one else, then Mr. Saotome would know about it. He seemed to be abundant with useless information like that. Of course, there were other problems.

"And how do you suggest I get there. Hmm? Walk?" she said coyly.

"Give me the number to the Kuno estate." Hiroshi said. "I’ll wager I can get him to help you."

"Kuno-baby?" Nabiki said. Hiroshi winced. He hated it when she called Kuno that. It got on his nerves for some unknown reason. "Well, I don’t see how, but here’s the number." She read it off to him, Hiroshi committing it to memory. After she finished, he thanked her and prepared to hang up.

"Oh, and Hiroshi," Nabiki said. Hiroshi put the phone back up to his ear. She prepared to use her most sensual voice, if for no other reason than she delighted in teasing him.

"I’m looking forward to seeing you again." She cooed. She smirked as she heard him stutter over the line.

"Y-y-y-you a-are?" he said. Instead of answering, she hung up. Sighing, she slipped out of the calming waters. She’d have to remember to charge him extra for interrupting her bath. Remembering his reaction, she decided it was worth it. She wrapped a towel around herself and left, going to seek out some info on this place.

Magic valley, she thought. Sounds exotic. This should be fun.

Hiroshi hung up and immediately began dialing the number Nabiki had given him for the Kuno estate. He breathed in deeply. He had a plan, but he’d have to execute it perfectly if this was going to work. And it had to. He had to play into Kuno’s dementia about Ranma. It was the only possible way he could see to bring Nabiki here. The phone rang a few times, then someone picked up the line. Hiroshi readied himself.

"Moshimoshi, this is the estate of Kuno." A familiar voice answered. It was that little Ninja man Kuno always had hanging around him. Hiroshi racked his brain for the name.

"Sasuke!" he said in a loud, almost shouting voice. "This is Ranma Saotome! Put Tatewaki on the line, now!"

There was a few minutes of silence. Hiroshi broke into a cold sweat. He hoped desperately that the Ninja was buying it. Suddenly a voice shouted back over the line, much to Hiroshi’s happiness.

"Villain!" Tatewaki Kuno shouted over the line. "How dare you to speak to me over this infernal device, rather than to face me in battle, as a true man would!"

Hiroshi breathed deeply. Showtime, he thought dryly. "Hah! Why should I face you when my magic can assail you from a secret location, you fool!?" Hiroshi shouted back. There was silence on Kuno’s end for a few moments.

"Cad!" Kuno yelled back finally, and Hiroshi breathed a sigh of relief. "So, now the villain does admit that he is nothing more than a pitiful sorcerer!"

"Pitiful as I am, Kuno," Hiroshi said deviously, "I have the lovely pig-tailed girl here as my captive! And I now have Akane Tendo as my unholy bride! Mwahahahahahaah!"

"You monster..." Kuno said breathlessly. "I shall take flight to the Tendo abode and settle the score! The last battle is anon!"

"No, wait!" Hiroshi said. "Did you honestly think I was really at the Tendo Dojo, you fool? That was simply....uh...a robot!"

"A robot?" Kuno said distantly.

"Uh, yes..." Hiroshi said. "A...uh...magic robot...specially created to battle you with...um...evil magic! Yes, that's it. It succeeds through the power...OF EVIL! Hah hah!"

"Of course! No mere man could ever beat the great Tatewaki Kuno in a contest of arms! Quickly, you cur, reveal thy location to me!" Kuno challenged.

"Unfortunantly, I cannot tell you. However, Nabiki Tendo can bring you to me." Hiroshi said, putting on his best ‘evil guy’ voice. "Make haste, my mortal enemy, lest the beautiful pig-tailed girl be made my unholy bride! Mwahahahahahah!" he said, cackling megalomaniacally. Kuno gasped.

"Argh! My pig-tailed goddess, hold fast! I shall save thee from the evil Saotome’s sinister magic!" Kuno shouted, then the phone clicked. Hiroshi closed the cellular, chuckling to himself.

"Easy money." He said in self-satisfaction. He turned to see the other looking at him, clearly confused.

"Uh, I suppose you’re all wondering what that was about." He said, chuckling nervously. Silence.

"Yeah, well, I’ve got some help coming. They should be here soon." He said, walking over to Ryouga and kneeling beside him. "We’ll beat them by their own rules."

"Soon?" Ryouga said. "How long is soon!?"

Hiroshi shrugged. "I have no idea. Tomorrow, if all goes according to plan."

"Tomorrow!?" Ryouga shouted. "I can’t wait until tomorrow! She needs me now!"

He gripped Hiroshi by the collar of his black school uniform desperately. Hiroshi struggled futily to get him off, eager to get those monstrously strong hands as far from his neck as possible. No one could really be sure what a man driven to the brink was capable of. Or who he would do it to.

"Sorry, but I’m not God, Ryouga. I do the best I can. It’s all I can do. It’s all any of us can do." Hiroshi said, trying in vain to pry Ryouga’s hands free.

"I did my best to save her...But it wasn’t enough..." Ryouga said, ashamed. He released his grip on the collar. Hiroshi sighed and glanced back at the other two. Their reactions were similar. Pity. Ryouga suddenly stood up and looked off into the distance, towards the trail of leaves Prince Ito had left behind.

"I’m going after her. Now." He said sternly. The three men exchanged worried glances at one another.

"Right." Daisuke chided. "In your condition, what good would you be?"

"I'm in better condition than what you’ll be in if you try to stop me." Ryouga growled. Wisely, Daisuke backed off. Ryouga looked at the rest of them.

"Any of you." With that, he turned and began to walk off, following the path exactly. He himself was stunned by this. It seemed that he knew exactly where to go. It was remarkable; The first time it had ever happened in his entire life. He took it as a good omen, and continued on, ignoring the pain in his injured back and the burning cuts on his skin.

"We can’t just let him go off like that, you know." Daisuke commented as he watched the lost boy unerringly follow the path of leaves. Hiroshi nodded.

"Ryu, you go with him." Hiroshi said. Ryu glanced at him.

"What?" he said, surprised. "Why me? Why I have to go?"

"He’ll need someone to watch his back, just in case." Hiroshi added. "Besides, I have to wait for my backup to arrive here."

"I...uh...also have to wait here." Daisuke said. "To...um...Ah, to hell with it, just go with him."

"Hai." Ryu said, nodding. He ran to catch up with Ryouga, careful to walk a step behind him. Before them, the trail of leaves seemed endless.

IV

Prince Ito Akikaze watched the scene unfold before his eyes in the dim glow of the reflecting pool. It served his needs well, allowing him to check anywhere in the valley from the relative comfort of the great Crystal Tower. Next to him, The tuxedo clad Nobara watched with equal interest. Ito averted his eyes and the scene faded, reverting once again to the crystal clear water it was.

"He’s coming for her." Nobara said. His voice was filled with something almost like respect. "How heroic of him. He must truly love this girl, to ignore wounds like those."

"Physical wounds heal with time, Nobara." Ito commented emotionlessly. "Emotional wounds never do."

"You're one to talk of emotion and pain." Nobara mused. Ito regarded him with an impassive glance.

"He must be dealt with in accordance with the sacred rules of the old masters." Ito commented dryly.

"What would you have me do?" he said. Ito turned his back and gazed out of the open window, the cold breeze of the winter province tussling his short black hair haphazardly.

"Destroy the two that pursue her. They are in your province, so they are yours to dispose of as you deem fit." Ito said without looking back.

"As you wish, my Prince." Nobara said, the eagerness to get to his task apparent in his voice.

"Do not try to grandstand this time. Last time you nearly lost your head. This one is dangerous. Efficiency is what I demand of you." Ito said. Nobara smiled.

"Your concern for my welfare is touching, my Prince." Nobara said. "But not necessary. This man is a thug, and my technique is far too elegant to be bested by a mere street brawler."

"I will be watching." He said coldly. "We shall see what this street brawler can do."

Nobara grinned, a disturbing look glinting in his eyes. "As you wish, my liege." He said sinisterly, and quickly departed. Ito stared out into the horizon for a few moments more before departing himself to retrieve the girl.

Ukyou wiped another rouge tear from her reddened eyes, perhaps for the twentieth time. She hated to cry so much. But, all she could do was think about her life here, in this damnable prison. It was the pinnacle of eloquence, but she reminded herself that shackles of gold were still shackles. But, there was that faint tether of hope, the glimmering, silver line in the blackness around her. It was hope, her hope in him. Her trust in him, in the fact he would rather die than let her be taken.

I won’t let you take her away from me...

She closed her eyes and sobbed more. It was becoming uncontrollable. Unstoppable. A raging surge of emotions that poured into her like a deluge from a shattered dam. She despised it, wanted to reach into her heart and tear that part of her out and crush it into the ground. Why did she know he would come for her? She just did, that’s all. He would come. He would never let her be taken from him. At least she hoped not. But then, there were dangers in this.

He stood no chance if all four of them attacked at once. He could be badly injured, or worse. Ito seemed a cold, distant man. Ryouga would probably never surrender. They’d kill him. This thought filled her with a new sense of dread. She didn’t want him to die. He was too special, not just to her. There was something about him, whether his adorable innocence or his sense of honor, that was lacking in so many other people she’d met. She had come to depend on that, to find comfort in his simple wisdom. He had become her best friend in this time, true, but there was something more than that. Something greater than either of them. It was a bond, strong, pure, and unbreakable. Now that he was separated from her and risking all he had, his very being for her, did she see it there. Inside her, as integral a part of her as her soul.

In short, she loved him.

This came as little surprise to her. She had known for quite a while that there was an attraction there, be it physical only at the beginning. There was an emotional bond there now, and it was more sacred to her than her very being. She threw herself to the floor in rage and weeped bitterly, choking and sobbing.

Why? Her mind screamed at her. Why now did I have to realize this? Why not sooner?

No one in heaven or hell seemed to be able to answer her. Outside, the cold, bitter air howled furiously.

End of Chapter Eight.

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