Mmkay....here you go...miri died last night, teehee, and this is how. ^_^ *grinning and waiting for the funeral* Oh, Miri is mine, (lol miri is DEAD), Chion is Jessi's, Taa is missa's and Az is fawnies' (Though Im sure He'd object if we said it to his face) And the bits and pieces of songs...are all Sarah Mclachlan. I gotta get my lazy ass to school so I can't name 'em... Grab yer tissues and oragel...this is a deathficcie, and is not a HAPPY deathficcie. (angel miri: have you EVER written anything *happy*??) (me: MEEP! SCHOOL!! GOTTA RUN!!!) waaiiii!!! Send me c and c!!! To see you smile (muahaha...no name...I wrote it...) It had been a long, weary, last few weeks for Miriya. The orphanage had been in almost chaos since Citan had left on some errand for her...and today, Devon had decided that life was not something she should take part in. Devon had been a slave before Miriya had freed her, and it was as former slaves that one they'd spoken, each comforting the other with understanding. Miriya dearly loved all the children she'd harbored, the home something she and Citan, and sometimes Taagin, had kept going for as long as anyone could remember. And on top of that, she worried for Chion almost every waking hour, praying to the gods that he'd be alright. It was a hard, weary path...but she felt in her heart that she was right. She'd sent Halcyon to her friends, to have him inform them of her other engagements, and for him to get out and see something other than the bleak walls of their home. She knew she'd have to let him go out on his own, but like all the children, she felt a close bond with him that wouldn't be severed by his departure. //So much to think about...// Finally, she'd been able to make it to the place they gathered nightly. She saw Halcyon instantly, engaged in quiet conversation with one of her friends...she smiled. He'd turned out all right-the world would be a better place with his influence. "Hello!" She greeted her friends, giving a wink to one of her closest friends, Azrael. And instantly, she felt something wrong, though she couldn't quite name it... "Miriya..." a soft voice called, and she turned, her eyes widening in delight. Chion was here, actually *here*...how long had it been? Supressing a squeal of delight, she grinned at him, offering a jaunty little wave. "Chion! How ya been?" She supressed an exhausted yawn, shuddering only a little. Something was wrong in his expression, but still it eluded her. Something was always wrong....her expression only changed slightly. Chion was silent a moment. Then he sighed quietly, "...I have to talk to you." Warning bells rang in her head, something tugged, and she smiled. "Shoot!" Miriya grinned. Az stepped beside her, speaking quietly with Halcyon, and she felt comforted by his presence. Again, Chion sighed. "Dammit," he murmured, "this isn't going to help things..." She blinked. "What's wrong?" Instantly, she was flooded with concern, something was so wrong... The Dark Lord seemed to be debating his words carefully, silent for a moment, before turning back to face her. "Well," he started, "I guess there's no way around it. Miriya, you'll guess half of what I'm about to tell you after I start..." Emotionlessly, she waited for him to continue, her mind already running through a checklist. He didn't look fevered, he didn't seem too out of character... She didn't like this at all. When he didn't speak, she sighed. "Whatever you're going to say to me, just do it...I'm not a child..." "Very well," he started, still pausing, "...I do not love you as you love me." She nearly collapsed in relief. //He's all right, he's going to be alright...// But it still didn't lessen the pain. Biting the inside of her cheek, she nodded solemnly, heart caught in her throat, "I know...no one could love one such as myself...I've always known...I just wished you to be happy. That's all that matters..." //Oh, my gods...that's all that ever mattered...// ~what is this love that holds me captive in your eyes? well, I wish I had the strength to leave it all behind, what's done is done~ Trapped, Azrael laid a hand on Miriya's shoulder, feeling her emotions like a whirlpool. A glance at her showed no outward change, save the glazed lavender eyes that stared blindly... However, Chion shook his head, "No...that isn't it. That's not why...it just didn't happen...." And he wasn't finished. With a swallow, he opened his mouth to continue. "....I...have been...with Essex for a time..." Strangely, the mystral smiled, entranced, "are you happy?" The mantra came again softly, a whispered prayer...She didn't even notice the gaze that passed between Chion and Essex. "As much as I can be, hai..." Miriya stared in shock, unable to do anything else. But her soul....it sang in joy, even as it cried out in inifite agony, knowing that she'd been helpless to help the one she loved more than life itself. //But...he's happy...and that's all that matters.// Stricken lavender stared at him, betrayed. "Why...didn't you tell me?" //All this time... I thought you were broken and hurting...oh, my gods...// "I didn't want to hurt you." He stated simply. The room was frozen, all participant's eyes locked on the drama unfolding. Azrael absently fingered the sword that Citan had lent him, to protect Miriya should her master return...and Chion watched Az carefully. "If you are happy, then I am..." //That's all that ever mattered, oh gods...// She paused, looking utterly lost. "...I'm...happy..." Chion nodded slightly. "Thank you, Miri," he whispered, hugging the shocked mystral and giving her a gentle kiss on the forehead. Then he stepped back, his news dealt, the blow yet to come. Az cast a dark look at Chion before wrapping his arms around Miriya. "You alright?" She didn't answer...she didn't know. Her eyes stung suddenly, but she supressed it, not wanting to show her pain...not wanting to show that she had been weak. It wasn't until she felt the gentle touch of Taagin's mind, that the broke from her reverie, sheltering her soul-brother from the agony. He'd never been in love, he'd never been loved...she didn't want to put him through this. She returned joy, offering a smile-all she had left. Torn, she looked at Chion, at his face, radiating a joy she'd remembered from long ago, and smiled again, pouring as much as she had into it. //I wish it could have been me, dearest...but I'm happy for you. May you have all the joy I wasn't able to share...and I pray you feel once again. As long as that's a reality...nothing else matters.// The tears threatened once again, and she turned away, feeling the salty moisture seep into the numerous cuts and wounds she'd been dealt within the few days previous. //...Gods, I love you...// Suddenly, the room was filled with a dark chuckle, and she straightened in horror. He'd come ...he'd finally come for her. //I'm ready,// she thought, and knew in her heart that this would be the last night she would share with her friends. But amongst the sorrow, there was a peace she'd never thought she could have, a solace that left her shaking at the knees. Taagin felt her alarm, and prepared himself for the arrival of her master. //Why?// he thought, looking at her, then to the form that was coalescing in the room, swirling into the shape of Shironnyl. Shironnyl was as dark and beautiful as he ever was, his eyes locked on his misplaced possesion, ready at last to take her home. She belonged with him...it was a pity she'd taken so long to realize it. But she would come peacefully...her punishment would not be *too* severe. Like an eager child, he invaded her mind, taking in all her thoughts and feelings, feeding on her pain like a hungry beast. //Heh...perhaps this is punishment enough.// The room was silent, everyone waited for what would happen next in hushed anticipation, lending the room the eerie feel of a graveyard, a morgue. Miriya was the only one to move, ignoring the feeble protest anyone offered, holding her hand out to his. "I'll go...I'm ready... master." There was no longer any fight in her voice, in her heart...she'd surrendered to him completely. "It is done." ~in this white wave i am sinking in this silence in this white wave in this silence i believe i have seen you in this white wave you are silent you are breathing in this white wave i am free~ "You can't go with him!" Azrael snapped, knowing that she was dead for sure if he moved. She sighed, breath catching, her heart beating an unholy beat, "I made a deal...and it is finshed." Shironnyl smiled sweetly, the expression dripping malice and hidden dark intent, focused completely on his "perfect creation"-the wayward mystral he'd long ago set his mind on taming. No one escaped him...they always found their way back... "Look, mystral," he whispered, "everything you hoped for fades before your very eyes..." Miriya closed her eyes, taking in he mental images he projected to her, her forever lost love dancing with his beloved over her broken body, drinking in her blood like it was holy. //He's happy,// she thought, a shaky smile crossing her face. //Let him hurt me,// she thought calmly //I don't think I can feel it anymore...// The imagery redoubled, folding over her broken soul, ripping her to shreds with their sheer intensity. Redahl and Bronwynn, broken and bloodied, Chion holding the blade that murdered them, wearing a malicious smirk of victory on his face. She fought the urge to scream, her eyes squeezed tightly, the tears finally slipping past her for the world to see. //You always knew how to get me...// Shironnyl hissed in frustration. //She's grown stronger...I'll have to break her once again.// However, outwardly, there was little more in his cold expression than the tightening at the corners of his eyes, and a slight smile tugging at his lips. //There will be an eternity for you to repent, my mystral...// He gazed at her battered and bruised body, silently wishing death on the one who'd dare touch her, and feeling a flicker of pride knowing that she'd exacted vengence herself. She was still so perfect... Finally, Miriya stopped, her will flaring against his mind brightly. "You may own me," she whispered quietly, lavender eyes glazed and lucid, "you may take me home, break my body, destroy what is left...but I am not yours. I'm...beyond you, now...enjoy what's left." Shock. Shironnyl *never* expected that kind of reaction from his mystral slave. //Of all the things....// His frigid gaze suddenly turned on Chion, hatred and rage filling his usually composed thoughts. //How dare you take her from me...// And Miriya's master was even more angry at the fact that he would lose his composure, albeit internally, to some pathetic slave's rebellion. //You will break, mystral...// And all he wanted was to murder the one that had caused him such grief. Not his mystral of course, she was *much* too important to destroy in such a childish display of outrage. However...her beloved....his nemesis. He could fall... //What better way to break her?// But Shironnyl was no fool. He knew he hadn't the power or the devices to do the deed...but again, his mystral was there for her. He'd read her deepest, most personal fears like a book, and knew the enormous power she'd hidden. With a slight flexing of his will, he drew the daggers from the confines of her clothing, the razor-sharp blades slicing their way free of their cloth prison, shredding flesh and all else that dared stand in their way. A sudden scream echoed through the room, a disembodied cry of terror that echoed the true hopelessness of their situation. A flash of premonition, Sara knew...she saw it all... and as the tears fell from her eyes she gathered her will and joined with Miriya, connecting them one final time. There was no stopping this; no way in all the heavens or hells anyone had ever put faith in. Crying, the silver dragon braced for the pain. Miriya didn't even whimper as the lancing pain hit, her mind was focused on the now. She knew what was planned, there was no time to think-like quicksilver she flew out, unstoppable even at the sudden arrival of Sara's spirit...she tackled Chion, feeling the trio of daggers enter her body. The pain was intense, worse than anything she'd ever felt before in her entire existence-the collective scream that came from the joined dragon and mystral shattered all the glass in the house, a discordant note of infinite agony...a swan song... a death scream. Chion blinked at his impromtu shield, an unreadable expression on his face. //That was ...unexpected.// All three of the daggers had impacted in vital areas, the stiletto blades buried deep in her body, the dragonblood already starting to mingle with each other. Dragons saw, dragons heard ... An inhuman scream howled through the room, the souls of each dragon finally set free from the thousands of years of captivity, each a joyous undulation of freedom. Diamond shone blood red, and an eerie golden glow began its trek throughout Miriya's blood. Soon, when the journey was complete, Sara-and the rest of the dragon's souls-would return to the nothingness from which they were given existence. Miriya coughed weakly, still supported by a rather surprised Chion, and managed a smile marred only a little by the thin trickle of blood escaping the corner of her mouth. It was a smile of victory, though the price was indeed a high one. All he could do was stare as the irridescent haze swept through her veins, leaving golden spiderwebs across her flesh. Lavender eyes were wide in pain, but also filled with a kind of tranquility, the bright glow dimming slightly. A tear slid down her cheek at last, an eerie shade of lucid red. Blood tears, for all that she'd lost...for all that she'd never had... "I didn't let him win." She whispered at last, feeling the life draining from her body, struggling to say focused, "and they can't kill you any more. But...I couldn't save Sara..." Her breath came slightly faster, more labored...the pain threatened to consume her. //Gods...I'm only sorry I couldn't do more for you...I always said I'd give my life for you, dearest, I just didn't think it would be so soon...// And even in such pain, all she could think of was that one face that she'd loved...even though she'd lost. There was only one thing left... "Are...you going to be alright? That's all I ever wanted..." Vision faded to nothingness, leaving the dying mystral girl alone in the darkness...Another blood-choked cough, a grotesque parody of a giggle, lavender fire flickered weakly as her eyes slowly closed... "...give my life to see you smile..." "I'd rather you not die, Miriya..." Chion whispered detachedly. She smiled slightly through the tears, everything fading so quickly now...all sensation was fading...she barely felt Chion kiss her forehead, unaware of the gentle smile... ~All the feelings they remain like a still life A dying swan song, forever lost, Your cries of glory The rain is falling down, Like a silence in a shroud When all that really matters left to lose I'm all alone...~ "...at least rest peacefully..." The magic had no time for farewells as it completed its course, her very fingertips glowing in the web of the spell. She whimpered softly, straightening, then the diamonds on each hilt exploded, each taking the steel blade they joined. Her limp body rolled onto her back, hiding the ugly wounds, baring her pale, sweat-soaked face for the entire room to see, the strained look of pain that crossed her features...and the glow spread to consume her entire body, becoming a flare so bright that all had to hide their eyes against its sheer brilliance. Sara cried out one last time as the dragon spirits consumed her, ripping her very being to shreds before they themselves could fall...and there was no more. A cold wind blew through the room, and all was silent. Nothing but the limp, lifeless body of a broken girl lay there, forever silenced. Shironnyl gasped, looking suddenly like a small child. He'd never expected her will to be that strong...shaking with unknown emotion, he sank to his knees, an unfamiliar sensation pricking at the corner of his eyes. //Gods...what is this?// Coherency was lost....his mystral....his beatiful creation... And that was the moment Azrael struck. Holding the sword Citan had left him, he raised the blade high, driving it through the slender body below. He howled in rage, his mind a frenzy at the loss of his close friend. Enraged, he twisted the steel around some, normal thought lost to sheer anger. Shironnyl barely let out a whimper before he died. His last thoughts, however, puzzled him to the very end... //...I deserve this.// In the flurry of excitement, no one noticed the two forms that appeared, a tall man and a young girl with a mane of curly red tresses, that stood quietly for a moment in contemplation of the broken body lying on the bloodstained floor. A sad little moan escaped the little girl, and attention turned there, all eyes focused on the twosome. And although they gave no name, those close to Miriya, who'd shared her heart and thoughts, knew the only two this could be. Redahl and Bronwynn... "You've come to take her home," Taagin mumbled, wiping his eyes. The man smiled at Taa, his ancient eyes filled with friendship, and love. "She's had a long and weary journey." Redahl's attention then focused on the limp form still impaled on Azrael's blade... "My brother...you learned, too late, that you weren't so different from the rest of us...I wish it would have been sooner. Rest in peace, young one...you deserve it." With that said, he knelt by Miriya's body, casting his eyes over his wife with a look of infinite pain. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you..." Bronwynn, however, was mobile, moving around the room to each person. Her eyes danced with a youthful exuberance, and as soon as she came close to a person, he or she was filled with a kind of hope and peace. Giggling, she pulled Azrael's hands from his grip on the sword handle, pulling them over her still heart. Azrael stared in wonder at the child, as she pressed his hands to her lips, laughing eyes twinkling. He felt the flood of comfort wash over him and his eyes widened slightly, surprised and amazed, blinking rapidly to supress the threatening tears. "Mommy wanted to fill her promise, 'Az," She giggled, "but she knows you'll be fine without her. But don't forget, there's always someone..." With an enigmatic smile, she winked and set him free, dancing away to the next. Taagin's eyes widened as he looked into the face of a younger, happier Miriya, dimpled smile and fiery eyes. The girl raised her hand, touching his cheek slightly, gently closing the link severed by her mother's death. "Me and daddy are gonna take real good care of mommy for you...and we'll all wait for you..." She threw her small arms around him, and he couldn't help but smile through his tears, "Uncle Taa..." And she left him there, staring in amazement. So much like Miriya used to be...back in the old days... memories came to him, but this time, they were all sweet. Bronwynn giggled, having made her way around the entire room, offering a sentance or a touch with a sweet smile, an angel in a room full of darkness, a single shining beacon. She stood before the last of them, Evil Himself, who still stood there near her mother's still body. Her eyes suddenly became very solemn as she looked him straight in the face, changing color slightly and swirling in a soothing pattern. She beckoned, and he knelt before her, unable to resist. Then she smiled softly, dimples flashing. She took his face in her tiny hands, ignoring his surprised look, and pulled him closer to her, his face mere inches from her own. And for a long moment, she just gazed at him, as if looking for something deep within. Chion did nothing but shift slightly under such scrutiny. "....Mommy wants you to be happy." She finally whispered, pressing a light kiss to his forehead. "And she wants you to know that an angel is blessing you...and she'll watch over you, even though she's not here anymore...she still cares." Bronwynn watched him a while longer, then very solemnly placed her hands on his shoulders. "And I bless thee, too, Archion Darkfyre," she whispered quietly, so only he could hear, "may the light which eluded us fill your soul and make you complete once again. Mommy says..." the little girl was suddenly choked, and an almost invisible tear slid down her cheek. Drawing her lips close to his ear, she murmured... "Mommy says she loves you...so I love you, too. Let him in, and live again." There was no more for her to say. With a gentle hug, she turned away, her demeanor truly that of an angel's. She joined Redahl, who offered a sad, gentle smile to the dark lord before scooping up the lifeless body, holding it dear to himself as if it indeed was his lost wife. They turned, simply fading into the air, as if they'd never been there before. Each person was filled with confusion and wonder; was it a dream? But the evidence was there, Shironnyl's still form, the slowly fading bloodstains... ...An irridescent white feather floated from some space within the ceiling, landing by Chion with not even as much as a whisper. But he felt it within his soul, even as he turned and disappeared from the room, fading from sight... "...live again..." ~Gloomy Sunday, With shadows I spend it all My heart and I have decided to end it all Soon there'll be candles, and prayers that I say I know But let them not weep- Let them know that I'm glad to go For death is no dream And in death I'm caressing you With the last breath of my soul I'll be blessing you...~ ~owari~