The Pain

Purin-chan: Well...I wrote this fic, then realized it sorta serves as a prequel to Never Thought I'd Miss You. I'm not saying it is, I'm just saying it somewhat follows the same plot line. Whether you'd like to think it is a prequel or not, I'm just going to say it isn't to be safe.

Warning: Suicide. I needn't say any more...

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       He quietly retreated to his room, his face showing immense depression...pain. He walked over to the drawers and took out an old wooden box. He broke the latch with an almost effortless movement of his fingers, then opened it.
       Inside were various knives of sorts, ranging from a rusty small kitchen knife to a thin silver dagger.
       Setting the box down on his bed, he began to sort them out, placing them in rows. One row consisted of old, useless knives, another of sharp, well-crafted knives...
       His fingers wrapped around a small leather handle. Lifting the blade to his wrist, he ran the sharp metal across his skin...
       But alas, the curse kept him from dying.
       He cursed, picked up another dagger, and made another futile attempt. His stone skin did not yield to his wishes and simply prevented the weapons from future use.
       There was a loud knock on the door and a familiar voice called out, "Zel! Can I talk to you for a minute?"
       He didn't answer. He simply glared coldly at the knives and daggers.
       "If you don't open the door I'll break it down!"
       No answer.
       "Ok I'm coming in!" She took a moment to cast a spell, unlocking the door in the process. She then turned the knob, entering the dark room and closing the door behind her.
       "Zel!" She started over to the side of his bed. "I swear, if I ever have to..." She paused mid-sentence, startled at the scene before her. She quickly took the dagger from Zelgadiss's hand. "What the hell do you think you're trying to do?!"
       "Isn't it obvious?" He looked into her lively crimson eyes, eyes that contrasted his lonely cerulean eyes.
       "Suicide?" She saw him nod faintly in the darkness. "You can't be serious..." she said, throwing the knife to the floor and putting her hands on his shoulders. "What would the others think?" she asked.
       "I don't care what they think..." He could feel her shudder slightly. "Lina... I can't take it anymore. Everyone thinks I'm some sort of...of...freak of nature. I'm a coward, I have to run or I'll go insane."
       "That's not true!" she declared, pain evident in her voice. She hesitated, then leaned forward and embraced him. "Baka... You're just lying to yourself again..."
       His expression softened. "Lina...don't make this hard on yourself..." He patted her lightly, unsure of what to do in this situation. "It's not like you'll lose anything out of this..."
       "I'd only lose my best friend..." she whispered, interrupting him. Her voice was broken, dishearted. "Please don't kill yourself, Zel..."
       "I'm not making any promises..."
       He felt her stiffen against him. Hot tears fell onto his cloak. "Lina...please...I don't want to see you like this..."
       "Fine," she barely managed to say. "But Zel, promise to think it over before you do anything..." She looked into his eyes, her own begging. "We do care, you know..."
       He nodded, feeling too disgusted with himself to look at her. He felt her squeeze his shoulders slightly before leaving the room, closing the door quietly behind her...

       However...
       Unfortunately, his heart had built a barrier around itself...
       Lina's words had cracked it, but not enough had reached through to his aching heart...
       The next morning Zelgadiss had been found lying on the floor in a pool of blood. Slashes were found in his stone skin, but not a single knife lay about...

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Purin-chan: Imagine what happened to him...perhaps a new spell? Or maybe he just unleashed supressed power within himself in order to die... You decide.
Anyway, this isn't gonna turn into a chaptered fic (I hope...) so unless I feel like writing a sequel, there probably won't be one.