Yu Yu Hakusho Fan Fiction / Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ 'Til The Last Sunset ❯ Prologue: Sunset ( Prologue )

`Til The Last Sunset….

Drof: Yes, I'm starting another fic. I know, I know, I'm a lazy person and I should get to work on my existing fics, but I got inspired!!! `Kay? Oh, and this one's to Yami-Ko. Blame her.

Karasu: I aim to.

Drof: Good! Then everything's settled!! Now, on with the disclaimer!!

Disclaimer: Ford owns absolutely nothing at all, and her pathetic life will never amount to anything.

Drof: ….I OWN THE OCS!!!

***

Prologue: Sunset

I walked towards the dark form, silhouetted against the setting sun. I wasn't in a hurry, and I needed to take my time anyway. The path was barely more than a collection of loose dirt and gravel, mixed in with larger rocks, and it was unstable and prone to sudden shifts and small landslides. Such disruptions could be dangerous, because it was quite a ways down if I fell. And I wasn't very eager to end my life as a splatter on the ground.

As I walked towards the figure on the cliff, I reflected on the events of the past few days. Had it really been just a few days? Everything had changed so much. I was still in shock, a little, from how sudden everything had been. My mind still reeled from the devastating changes that had taken place. I was wary, and more than that, I was afraid.

Things that had once been solid, taken for granted because they'd always be there, had been pulled away. There was no knowing what was for sure, except that you could trust nothing to stay the same. Once-solid beliefs were now as shifting and unpredictable as the loose gravel beneath my feet.

"Are you planning on walking off the edge?" a voice asked. It was a male voice, and familiar, though I couldn't quite place where I knew it from. The sound set me to shivering, though, as some old fear crept up from the edges of my mind. I stopped, and realized that during my musing, I'd almost walked myself off the cliff the person was sitting on. I shuddered, realizing how close I'd been to death. `Better not to think about it,' I told myself. I sat down next to the person, still trying to figure out who he was.

I smelled blood, and realized the source of it was sitting next to me. I looked at him, wondering why he smelled of blood. I noticed he wasn't wearing a shirt, and came to the assumption that the strips of black fabric near him were probably all that remained of the garment. What I could see of him was covered in gashes and cuts, some bleeding and others scabbed over. He was also badly bruised, and more than a few ribs were broken. I wondered who had given him such a severe beating. Probably someone he'd fought, I thought.

His skin was oddly pale, a contrast to his black hair and the jetty wings that jutted from his shoulder blades. `Crows' wings,' I thought. Looking at his face, I noticed that everything below his eyes was covered up by a metal mask. Above the mask, his violet eyes glinted with amusement. Underneath the amused look, however, I could see deep grief. Suddenly, I realized who he was.

"Karasu!" I hissed, eyes narrowing.

"No, just a Karasu," he said, a bit bitterly. "Haven't you heard? I come in six-packs now."

"That wasn't funny."

"I'm not in a particularly humorous mood," he replied.

"Hm…" I said. I didn't trust him an inch; but it would be dark soon, and I knew I couldn't possibly go down the path in the dark and live. So, I'd be spending the night up there.

"Amazing, how quick things can change, isn't it?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said.

"This world was too complacent," he said. "We weren't prepared for anything like this."

"And we could have been?"

"Probably not. But, still…" he trailed off, obviously not knowing what he wanted to say. I could tell he was hurting, and not just from his wounds. I wondered what had happened, that put that bitterness in his voice and that grief in his eyes. Whatever it was, I could tell he blamed himself.

"Are we the only ones left?" I asked after a while.

"There are others," he replied.

"Like who?"

"Dark-Sparrow's still alive…Ford…You and me…Father…" the last he said in barely a whisper. The pain in his voice became noticeable when he said that.

"…Did he do that to you?" I asked. He looked down at himself, seemed for the first time to notice the wounds and bruises. The look in his eyes told me he was smiling bitterly.

"How'd you know?" he asked.

"Just a guess," I replied. I hadn't expected to be right. Suddenly, I felt sorry for him.

"Am I right in assuming that you're not going to attempt to go back in the dark?" he asked after a long silence.

"You're right," I said.

"Find a place to sleep, then," he said, and got to his feet. I could tell the effort was painful. His ribs cracked, and I heard something, probably blood, splatter on the ground. He walked off a short distance, and lay down, gathering the tatters of his shirt about him in a futile attempt to ward off the descending chill.

I wondered how long he'd been here. I would have contemplated more, but the cold was becoming severe, and the sudden, harsh, driving wind, which chilled me straight to the bone and carried little bits of debris on it wasn't making it any better. Eyeing the dark lump that was Karasu, whom I assumed was sleeping, I weighed my choices.

Stay here and probably die of hypothermia and/or exposure, or swallow my pride, lay down next to him and hope he didn't decide to kill me? Both choices seemed equally unappealing. Finally, the biting wind made my choice for me. Hesitantly, I walked over to the dark, motionless lump, and gently poked his shoulder. When he didn't move, I judged I wasn't going to be blown to pieces, and lay down next to him.

It was cold, and I found myself huddling closer to him. I was tempted to jump up and move away, but my self-preservation instincts over-ruled that, and I stayed. I was just drifting off to sleep, curled into a little ball and shivering, when I felt something warm draped over me. I opened my eyes to look drowsily around, and saw that the warm thing was a tattered piece of black fabric that, from the looks of it, had once been a shirt. I looked at Karasu, wondering at this sudden act of kindness.

"Karasu?" I asked sleepily.

"Don't want you to freeze," he said. Too tired to really care, I nodded and let myself drift back to sleep. I still didn't trust him, but I was grateful to him. At least now I wouldn't freeze.

***

Later

I woke up sobbing, tears streaming down my face. I couldn't remember what I'd dreamed, but I felt a sense of desolation and loss.

"Something wrong?" a voice asked. I didn't say anything. Truth be told, I doubted I could. Someone put their arms around me, and held me as I cried. Soon my sobs quieted down to the occasional sniffle, and I looked up to see who held me. Concerned violet eyes looked down on me, and slowly it dawned on me whose chest I'd been sobbing against.

"Karasu?" I asked, confused and a little frightened.

"It's never pleasant," he said, "waking up in the middle of the night crying….afraid….sad…and all alone." Something in his tone told me he knew well what that was like.

"Go back to sleep," he said. I nodded, still completely exhausted. I hadn't realized it until I'd lain down, but the past few days had taken a lot out of me. I couldn't remember the last time I'd slept, before now. I felt a bit relieved, for some reason. I somehow felt that I knew his intentions, and I could tell they were good.

I felt safe, in his arms. I still didn't trust him. But now I knew, he wouldn't hurt me. I knew he wouldn't try anything. I wasn't quite sure how, but I knew that whatever happened, he'd keep me safe.

Right up until the last sunset, he'd protect me.

***

Drof: Whaddaya think?

Karasu: ….

Drof: Oh, just so you know, the identity of the person narrating this chappie will be revealed in the first chappie. However, if you can guess it, you get a special mention next chappie! It's pretty easy...