Fan Fiction ❯ Illusia ❯ Koura - A Lonely One 6 ( Chapter 52 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Serenitychan13 
Chapter 6: Loss and Uncertainty
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): / Suspense / Supernatural / Romance / Fantasy / Action / Angst / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.25.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.0K | Visits: 179 | Status: Completed
Chapter 6: Loss and Uncertainty
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction | Genre(s): / Suspense / Supernatural / Romance / Fantasy / Action / Angst / Drama | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 01.25.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.0K | Visits: 179 | Status: Completed
Chapter 6
Illusia looked guilty, Terran wasn’t looking at anyone, and Ginny was back to cleaning her claws with her teeth. Once again, we fell into an uncomfortable silence, shifting around and trying not to look at each other. I hated the tension and felt I had to say something.
“So, should we get going?”
Illusia started off past the tree and headed off down a path through an area that looked like it had only recently begun to heal from a fire. Blackened trees were everywhere, fallen branches and logs scattered over the ground. There were a few small green plants starting to re-grow, but mostly everything was some shade of brown or black. It didn’t look like the kind of place she would normally like to be in.
Ginny got up and padded after her, making almost no sound even when stepping through all those sticks and leaves. Her long tail twitched in annoyance. Terran went after both of them, still staring determinedly at the ground. I guess he really did think I was going to stay angry at him. Slowly, I started after the three of them, staying a good distance behind.
Maybe I did go too hard on them…
I could barely see Illusia because she was so far ahead. Her ponytails were just barely visible in the darkness of the burned, blackened forest. Ginny had caught up with her and the two were walking side by side, apparently deep in discussion. Illusia looked seriously depressed, but she didn’t seem to be crying or even close to tears. Terran was about ten or twelve feet behind them, looking as if he were deep in thought.
The silence was coming to the point of being unbearable. I quickened my pace to catch up with Terran. Within seconds, I was just alongside him. The expression on his face was unreadable. He was between looking depressed and looking determined.
“So do you really think we have any chance at all?”
He didn’t look at me and it was a long time before he answered.
“To be honest,” he said quietly. “I have no clue.”
This worried me. I had never seen my brother look torn or indecisive. With him it was always one way or the other, clean cut. I looked sideways at him, worry still coursing through my mind.
“What do you mean?”
He looked up at the grey-blue sky for a moment. Some of the clouds were white, but others looked like they would bring storms. They looked like they were just as torn and unsure as he was. He sighed and bowed his head slightly.
“I’m not sure if we can really get there in time,” he said, still quietly. “There’s not really much of a chance if we look at it realistically. But still, if there is a chance, even a little bit of one, we have to do all we can.”
“And if we don’t make it…?”
I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to hear the answer. Especially with the amount of time he took before he said anything. He looked at Illusia, then at me.
“I think it might kill her,” he said simply, his voice flat. “She’s been hit with so much, it might just overwhelm her to the point that she would never recover.”
“Oh… So what do you think the two of them are talking about?”
He continued to watch the girl he loved, pain far too obvious in his eyes.
“Probably the same thing we are,” he said softly. “She’s probably wondering if she’ll be able to take it if we’re too late.”
Illusia and the huge mountain lioness were silent now, each looking straight off into the distance. The small lavender-haired girl seemed defeated, the energy gone from her stride. She looked as if she had lost all her happiness. It seemed so wrong for a girl who had such a spirited outlook on life to look so downhearted.
“She needs you right now… Go on, catch up with her.”
“You’ll be alright?” he asked, looking at me with concern in his eyes.
I just gave his shoulder a push.
“I’ll be fine, I promise. Now go on.”
He nodded at me and started walking a little faster. I went a little bit faster myself, not wanting to wind up having an unfortunate run-in with any of Ginny’s… family. Illusia stopped for a second and turned around. The tawny cat paused at her side. Terran stopped beside her as well.
“Illusia, how are you feeling?” he asked her softly, placing an arm tenderly around her shoulders. “You holding up alright?”
She looked up at him with an uncertain look on her face. The cat looked up at the two of them, concern obvious in her big green eyes. Illusia looked so tired, as if she hadn’t gotten any decent sleep in a long time. She probably hadn’t. I hated to think what kind of horrors might have haunted her nightmares. From seeing her asleep in Terran’s arms, I knew she didn’t sleep well, often whimpering and crying in her sleep.
“I’m alright I guess,” she said, her eyes not on his face. “Just a little tired.”
“You know, we still have a chance,” he said quietly, trying to smile at her. “We just need to keep going. Everything will work itself out in the end.”
“But it doesn’t promise that I’ll see my family again,” she said, her voice choking a little. “Grampa Bear… He was protecting me… I still feel like it was my fault…”
He tightened his hold on her shoulders.
“No, honey,” he said, holding her close. “Don’t blame yourself… And remember, he’s not really gone.”
“What are you saying?” she asked, looking up at him uncertainly.
He smiled at her and slid a hand under her chin. Even from where I was, I could see the tears in her eyes.
“He’ll never be gone as long as he still lives in your heart,” he said softly. “I know you can never forget him and he knows too. His spirit isn’t gone.”
“I know,” she said, but her voice still sounded like she didn’t entirely believe him. “Is there anything left that I can do for him?”
“Yes,” he said firmly. “We’re going to track down Sawyer and get back what belongs to you. I’m sure that somehow, you can unseal his spirit. Do you remember what I told you when we first met?”
“I don’t really remember much of anything,” she said, softer than ever. “So much has happened since then.”
“I told you that though his animal body is gone, his human form remains,” he said gently, trying his best to reassure her. “When you release his spirit from the Fire Gem, you’ll see him again.”
I felt so sorry for her. I knew I was to blame for what happened to my brother, but she had no reason for the guilt she felt. Yet still it hurt her so badly. The huge cat, who had been sitting silently beside the two of them, nuzzled the top of her head against Illusia’s hand, trying to offer her comfort as well.
“I hope you’re right,” she said, her voice showing just how depressed she was.
She turned and started down the still-slightly-charred path, the mountain lioness once again walking by her side. This time, however, she had Terran beside her as well. Gently, he reached down and took her hand in his. She looked up at him and smiled.
I was glad he had been able to offer some reassurance. She seriously looked like she had needed it. Soon, Ginny had dropped back a little, now walking beside me. I looked down at the cat, reaching out to scratch her behind her ears. I was surprised when she started purring loudly, half closing her eyes and rubbing her head against my hand. The short, fine fur behind her ears was soft as velvet.
I could get used to this…
The huge cat looked up at me, her dark green eyes still full of concern.
“Is my Princess going to be alright?” she asked, her low voice somewhere between a purr and a growl. “I know she is hurting inside… She never used to be like this. Do you know what happened to make her change?”
I let my head drop forward with a heavy sigh. I didn’t know most of what had happened, but the lioness looked so worried. I was going to tell her all I could, and that wasn’t very much.
“I’m not sure what happened before I met her, but I know she’s been hit with a lot in a short amount of time. Now it looks like she may never see her mother again.”
“I lost my mother when I was very young too,” said the lioness. “And my three sisters. In a fire. I never knew my father.”
“Can you tell me what happened?”
“Two years ago, this place was green and alive,” she began. “One day, lightning struck a dead tree and set everything ablaze. Animals were everywhere, trying to get away from the burning and smoke. I was separated from my mother and sisters in the chaos. I never saw my mother again, but when I went back to our den after everything had mostly cleared up and it started to rain, I found my sisters. The whole den smelled of wood smoke and my sisters were not moving. It was the smoke. It had taken my sisters and my mother from me.”
“My parents are gone too. They passed away when I was about twelve. Now my brother is my only family in the world. I don’t know what I would do if I lost him…”
“I am going to stay with my Princess,” she said softly. “She helped me when I lost my mother and sisters. I must return the favor. If it is at all possible, I will see to it that she does not lose her family as I did.”
“I’m helping her too. She loves my brother and it’s been so long since I’ve seen him happy. He’d do anything for her. And from what I’ve seen, she would do the same for him.”
The tawny cat said nothing. I looked ahead and saw something I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to see. Illusia was kneeling beside a dark form that lay beside the path, looking extremely worried. Terran was standing behind her, looking torn between anger and worry.
Oh sh*t… What happened!?
Both Ginny and I started running towards the slightly disturbing scene. Not surprisingly, Ginny got there first. I almost tripped over her as I got there. As I looked over at Terran, I started to get the idea that something was very wrong.
When I saw what Illusia was kneeling next to, I was shocked. There was that guy in the black trench coat, the one who apparently had caused all the trouble. Terran’s expression was turning from torn to just angry. Illusia looked like she was ready to cry. When I got a look at the condition the guy was in, I could see why.
Illusia looked guilty, Terran wasn’t looking at anyone, and Ginny was back to cleaning her claws with her teeth. Once again, we fell into an uncomfortable silence, shifting around and trying not to look at each other. I hated the tension and felt I had to say something.
“So, should we get going?”
Illusia started off past the tree and headed off down a path through an area that looked like it had only recently begun to heal from a fire. Blackened trees were everywhere, fallen branches and logs scattered over the ground. There were a few small green plants starting to re-grow, but mostly everything was some shade of brown or black. It didn’t look like the kind of place she would normally like to be in.
Ginny got up and padded after her, making almost no sound even when stepping through all those sticks and leaves. Her long tail twitched in annoyance. Terran went after both of them, still staring determinedly at the ground. I guess he really did think I was going to stay angry at him. Slowly, I started after the three of them, staying a good distance behind.
Maybe I did go too hard on them…
I could barely see Illusia because she was so far ahead. Her ponytails were just barely visible in the darkness of the burned, blackened forest. Ginny had caught up with her and the two were walking side by side, apparently deep in discussion. Illusia looked seriously depressed, but she didn’t seem to be crying or even close to tears. Terran was about ten or twelve feet behind them, looking as if he were deep in thought.
The silence was coming to the point of being unbearable. I quickened my pace to catch up with Terran. Within seconds, I was just alongside him. The expression on his face was unreadable. He was between looking depressed and looking determined.
“So do you really think we have any chance at all?”
He didn’t look at me and it was a long time before he answered.
“To be honest,” he said quietly. “I have no clue.”
This worried me. I had never seen my brother look torn or indecisive. With him it was always one way or the other, clean cut. I looked sideways at him, worry still coursing through my mind.
“What do you mean?”
He looked up at the grey-blue sky for a moment. Some of the clouds were white, but others looked like they would bring storms. They looked like they were just as torn and unsure as he was. He sighed and bowed his head slightly.
“I’m not sure if we can really get there in time,” he said, still quietly. “There’s not really much of a chance if we look at it realistically. But still, if there is a chance, even a little bit of one, we have to do all we can.”
“And if we don’t make it…?”
I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to hear the answer. Especially with the amount of time he took before he said anything. He looked at Illusia, then at me.
“I think it might kill her,” he said simply, his voice flat. “She’s been hit with so much, it might just overwhelm her to the point that she would never recover.”
“Oh… So what do you think the two of them are talking about?”
He continued to watch the girl he loved, pain far too obvious in his eyes.
“Probably the same thing we are,” he said softly. “She’s probably wondering if she’ll be able to take it if we’re too late.”
Illusia and the huge mountain lioness were silent now, each looking straight off into the distance. The small lavender-haired girl seemed defeated, the energy gone from her stride. She looked as if she had lost all her happiness. It seemed so wrong for a girl who had such a spirited outlook on life to look so downhearted.
“She needs you right now… Go on, catch up with her.”
“You’ll be alright?” he asked, looking at me with concern in his eyes.
I just gave his shoulder a push.
“I’ll be fine, I promise. Now go on.”
He nodded at me and started walking a little faster. I went a little bit faster myself, not wanting to wind up having an unfortunate run-in with any of Ginny’s… family. Illusia stopped for a second and turned around. The tawny cat paused at her side. Terran stopped beside her as well.
“Illusia, how are you feeling?” he asked her softly, placing an arm tenderly around her shoulders. “You holding up alright?”
She looked up at him with an uncertain look on her face. The cat looked up at the two of them, concern obvious in her big green eyes. Illusia looked so tired, as if she hadn’t gotten any decent sleep in a long time. She probably hadn’t. I hated to think what kind of horrors might have haunted her nightmares. From seeing her asleep in Terran’s arms, I knew she didn’t sleep well, often whimpering and crying in her sleep.
“I’m alright I guess,” she said, her eyes not on his face. “Just a little tired.”
“You know, we still have a chance,” he said quietly, trying to smile at her. “We just need to keep going. Everything will work itself out in the end.”
“But it doesn’t promise that I’ll see my family again,” she said, her voice choking a little. “Grampa Bear… He was protecting me… I still feel like it was my fault…”
He tightened his hold on her shoulders.
“No, honey,” he said, holding her close. “Don’t blame yourself… And remember, he’s not really gone.”
“What are you saying?” she asked, looking up at him uncertainly.
He smiled at her and slid a hand under her chin. Even from where I was, I could see the tears in her eyes.
“He’ll never be gone as long as he still lives in your heart,” he said softly. “I know you can never forget him and he knows too. His spirit isn’t gone.”
“I know,” she said, but her voice still sounded like she didn’t entirely believe him. “Is there anything left that I can do for him?”
“Yes,” he said firmly. “We’re going to track down Sawyer and get back what belongs to you. I’m sure that somehow, you can unseal his spirit. Do you remember what I told you when we first met?”
“I don’t really remember much of anything,” she said, softer than ever. “So much has happened since then.”
“I told you that though his animal body is gone, his human form remains,” he said gently, trying his best to reassure her. “When you release his spirit from the Fire Gem, you’ll see him again.”
I felt so sorry for her. I knew I was to blame for what happened to my brother, but she had no reason for the guilt she felt. Yet still it hurt her so badly. The huge cat, who had been sitting silently beside the two of them, nuzzled the top of her head against Illusia’s hand, trying to offer her comfort as well.
“I hope you’re right,” she said, her voice showing just how depressed she was.
She turned and started down the still-slightly-charred path, the mountain lioness once again walking by her side. This time, however, she had Terran beside her as well. Gently, he reached down and took her hand in his. She looked up at him and smiled.
I was glad he had been able to offer some reassurance. She seriously looked like she had needed it. Soon, Ginny had dropped back a little, now walking beside me. I looked down at the cat, reaching out to scratch her behind her ears. I was surprised when she started purring loudly, half closing her eyes and rubbing her head against my hand. The short, fine fur behind her ears was soft as velvet.
I could get used to this…
The huge cat looked up at me, her dark green eyes still full of concern.
“Is my Princess going to be alright?” she asked, her low voice somewhere between a purr and a growl. “I know she is hurting inside… She never used to be like this. Do you know what happened to make her change?”
I let my head drop forward with a heavy sigh. I didn’t know most of what had happened, but the lioness looked so worried. I was going to tell her all I could, and that wasn’t very much.
“I’m not sure what happened before I met her, but I know she’s been hit with a lot in a short amount of time. Now it looks like she may never see her mother again.”
“I lost my mother when I was very young too,” said the lioness. “And my three sisters. In a fire. I never knew my father.”
“Can you tell me what happened?”
“Two years ago, this place was green and alive,” she began. “One day, lightning struck a dead tree and set everything ablaze. Animals were everywhere, trying to get away from the burning and smoke. I was separated from my mother and sisters in the chaos. I never saw my mother again, but when I went back to our den after everything had mostly cleared up and it started to rain, I found my sisters. The whole den smelled of wood smoke and my sisters were not moving. It was the smoke. It had taken my sisters and my mother from me.”
“My parents are gone too. They passed away when I was about twelve. Now my brother is my only family in the world. I don’t know what I would do if I lost him…”
“I am going to stay with my Princess,” she said softly. “She helped me when I lost my mother and sisters. I must return the favor. If it is at all possible, I will see to it that she does not lose her family as I did.”
“I’m helping her too. She loves my brother and it’s been so long since I’ve seen him happy. He’d do anything for her. And from what I’ve seen, she would do the same for him.”
The tawny cat said nothing. I looked ahead and saw something I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to see. Illusia was kneeling beside a dark form that lay beside the path, looking extremely worried. Terran was standing behind her, looking torn between anger and worry.
Oh sh*t… What happened!?
Both Ginny and I started running towards the slightly disturbing scene. Not surprisingly, Ginny got there first. I almost tripped over her as I got there. As I looked over at Terran, I started to get the idea that something was very wrong.
When I saw what Illusia was kneeling next to, I was shocked. There was that guy in the black trench coat, the one who apparently had caused all the trouble. Terran’s expression was turning from torn to just angry. Illusia looked like she was ready to cry. When I got a look at the condition the guy was in, I could see why.