The Cherry Blossoms (Cattail)

[»Míríel«]

Miriel's face was a deep scarlet when the stranger shamed her with the suggestion of being paid to love Axel. Nervousness fluttered in her stomach as anger built in her heart. What type of person was this man? She was glad that Axel stepped between them, for it took those fiery eyes off her and kept her from doing something she might regret. Then again, the thought of Axel doing something he might regret struck her.

There was something deviously handsome about the stranger. His features drew you in as it seemed like darkness clouded your thoughts. She shook her head slightly, clearing him from her mind. then she heard his name, Aidyn, Aidyn Delfer. What a strange name...He was a part of a rebellion group, what was that? Something most definitely tied to the past life of Axel. Yet she had never heard of it before.

An uneasyness seemed to fill Miriel's senses as she stepped away from Axel, and turned to Aidyn. Smiling slightly her voice was gentle and smooth, covering all the uneasiness in her heart. "Like cherry trees blossoming in the Autumn I suppose." She smiled brightly and nodded her head, "I suppose that since you too, seem to know each other now.. I should introduce myself. I'm Miriel, daughter of Arandur."Her blue eyes flashed back to Axel and she gave him a smile and paused for a moment before turning back to Aidyn.

Questions about this new piece of the past filled Miriel's heart and mind, but she didn't ask them, not now. Perhaps she would question Axel about it later, if they weren't going to be answered in the near future by the two men talking to each other.

[Miss Fifi]

Axel narrowed his eyes at Aidyn. "If you could call our encounter 'knowing' one another.." This smart mouthed suitor certainly wasn't gaining his favor. He was cocky, blunt, and overall, he was hitting on his woman. That was far beyond wrong in the laws of men. He tensed as Miriel took a step toward him. Was she really buying into this? What was it this Aidyn had that he didn't? Perhaps it was his pleasant face, a trait Axel could admit he was lacking in. But really, was that all that mattered in this world anymore? He gritted his teeth and held back any rash actions that would have lashed out otherwise.

Aidyn smirked mischeviously as she took a step away from her dark lover. This certainly could make for a fun game. He took her dainty hand as she introduced herself. "It is a pleasure, miss Miriel." He kissed her hand lightly and respectfully. His gaze casually shifted over to Axel, a grin of satisfaction playing on his lips at the sight of the anger building up within that tall, muscular frame. He didn't understand why he got such satisfaction out of messing around with the emotions of a man of Death itself that he hardly even knew. Either way, it certainly gave him a playful and fleeting pleasure every time he watched his face twist with fierce anger. It felt like something that wasn't fully him; something that seemed to be toying with his own emotions. His eyes suddenly caught a golden amulet hanging loosely off of Miriel's neck. His eyes brightened as something clicked in his mind. "Ah.. Two Guardians in love. Not the most usual of situations, hmm? I would think it would be quite difficult to find any time in love, what with the world in this awful state.. I pity you."

Axel raised one eyebrow at the last statement. Who was this? How could he have known so much? He held onto Miriel's forearm out of instinct. "There's no need for your sympathy. I assure you, we'll work something out." His stare turned into a piercing glower as he examined every inch of Aidyn's strange features. It was almost as if he was made entirely from fire. Axel wanted to touch his skin, just to see if it was hot like the flame. It may have seen irrelevant, but Axel's sneaking suspicions just would not rest.

[»Míríel«]

Miriel wanted severely to pull back as Aidyn kissed her hand. An uncommon warmth flooded from his fingers and seemed to start creeping up from where he kissed her hand up her heart. Suddenly she seemed drawn to him. His handsome features, his bright eyes that seemed to have a hypnotizing quality to them. Skin that was white as death seemed so blemish less and perfect, she couldn't say he didn't have his charms.

As Axel touched her forearm she seemed to snap out of it. She stumbled back a step toward Axel, her eyes showed some confusion as the warmth left her arm. Now her eyes examined Aidyn from head to toe, as more questions filled her mind. So much mystery swarmed around one person. She wrapped her arm around Axel's waist and smiled slightly, "There is always time to love, though perhaps we will not always see each other or have time alone, but true love is meant to endure." even though her face was bright, her soul felt cold from Aidyn. But the feeling was soon fading as she was by Axel. He seemed to be providing her strength, just by being there for her.

The sound of hooves filled the air as a dark horse emerged from the shadows. A nicker came from his mouth as his large stately form came toward Miriel. A smile came over Miriel's face as she walked toward him, the horse stopped and nudged her gently. She wrapped her arms around calanon, her horse. After a moment Calanon galared at Axel darkly before Miriel laughed and stroked his velvevty fur, "It's fine he's my very close friend now.." She glanced at Axel with a birght smile, "A great friend." Calanon 's dark eyes seemed to show jealousy before he turned to the guy who seemed to be full of fire.

*Calanon's thoughts* - "Bright light shines from two-legs eyes.. though he doesn't have strange wings like birds.." Calanon took a could steps forward before snuffiling the guys hair. "Hair.. weird..smells like.. ashes..." He snorted and sneezed all over Aidyn's hair. "Bad Two-leg..must be on fire.. Don't like fire...must get fire away from friend.. fire bad..." giving a snort he nudged Aidyn hard, knowing that he was near the edge of the swampy ground. "Need to give firey one a bath.."

[Miss Fifi]

Axel watched Calanon's strange animal antics with Aidyn. He never did like animals. He thought they were all stupid beasts who had no real thinking process. They ate, sleeped, crapped everywhere, and that was about it. This beast -or horse- however, seemed to be different. He had an intelligence about him that Axel had never seen in an animal before. As Calanon neared him, Axel had a flashback of what had happened to him at that same place. His eyes widened, wondering if this giant black troublemaker had the same intent. This would be quite fun to watch.

Aidyn was suddenly being sniffed by some large black nag. He preferred not to be touched by any smelly animal, regardless of who it belonged to or how well they took care of it. They were infested with bugs, grime... All of the things that just revolted him. This one, however, was getting particularly close. He didn't appreciate it. Suddenly, without warning, he was being roughly shoved back into the swampy waters. He waved his arms in a circle, trying to regain his balance, but it was a useless attempt. He went plummeting backward until you could see no more of him. A moment of silence passed. There was no splash of the water, yet Aidyn was out of sight.

A second later, his figure re-emerged from behind the swamp banks. He wasn't walking out, however. It was almost like he was being lifted out. When he was able to get a footing back on the ground, a playful smirk was dancing on his lips. Tethers of fire had formed beneath him, dissipating within a moment's notice. He came closer to the horse, putting his lips right next to his fuzzy ear. "I'd be careful if I were you.. If you play with fire.." He snapped his fingers, and a small flame lit in his palm. He held it up in the horse's face. "You just might get burned." It suddenly formed into a vicious cobra, lunging out at the horse's face. Just as suddenly as it appeared, it vanished again, and Aidyn chuckled darkly.

As soon as Aidyn reappeared from out of sight, Axel's scythe appeared in his hand. He clenched it tightly in his fist, watching Aidyn's every move. He felt so uneasy right now that he began to break out in a cold sweat. It was a fear, a precautionary fear. Not fear of the man himself, but fear of what may become of him. He couldn't nab at what it was; whatever it was, however, it wasn't natural. It wasn't something that could simply be looked over. It was an evil force, somewhere within that body of his. He could feel it reaching out to him, and he knew he couldn't draw away, but he really wished he could.

[»Míríel«]

Calanon gave a snort of satisfaction as Aidyn was pushed into the murky liquids. But when the flamed one came out and waved that blasted fire around his face Calanon's eyes grew wide as the whites of his eyes showed. "Fire..bright light.. unearthly bad light...bad person! Fire bad..Snakes bad. " Letting out a snort of fright he reared on his back legs, his hooves lashing out frantically as if he was trying to put out the fire. A neigh of fright he snorted and danced away from the fiery two-leg. A fierce dislike filled the horses soul as he tried to keep the snake away. "Must.. protect friend..bad fire.. baad..."

Miriel saw the scythe come to Axel's hand, but before she could say that this move might be a bit hasty, the man used fire to frighten Calanon. A dark frown came upon her usually light features. Walking over to Calanon she quieted him by simply calling his name in a soothing manner. His body twitched and rippled with nervousness as he stood to the side of her, the front of his body angled toward the front of Miriel, as if to protect her from this man. Miriel rested a hand on her horses silky neck and glared at the man before her. "That, sir. was uncalled for." Her tone was icy. A light came to her eyes as her fingers wrapped around her sword. Why did the air seem to grow thicker and harder to breathe all of a sudden?

[Miss Fifi]

Aidyn's smirk became a wicked grin. He laughed, long and loudly. "Uncalled for, was it? Well, my apologies." A large fire appeared in both of his palms. "Well then tell me, is this called for?" He threw his hands down, lighting the grass on fire. The sight of the ground burning, the fact he was destroying something of Axel's, gave him such a thrill that it frightened him. He could feel it; he was losing more and more of himself with every word.

A shadowy hand shot out and grabbed Aidyn by the wrists, yanking him towards Axel. "What do you think you're doing!?" He held up his scythe to his neck. Then Aidyn began to twitch. His eye would flicker, his neck would jolt to the side, one side of his mouth would consistently move.

"Axel, I truly do like you. It just seems that there's something within me that wishes to contradict that." His whole body shook, as if he had just been struck by lightning. "There is a part of me that wants to cause you pain, to see you suffer. It wants to watch the pain contort on your face." His total expression darkened as he added quietly, "It wants to kill you and everyone around you."

Axel stared directly into Aidyn's eyes, searching for an answer to all of this madness. Was he simply crazy, or was it something real? Something within him told him he should not just take this man for a psychopath. He grasped Aidyn tighter. "Is there a name? Is there someone behind this?"

Aidyn lowered his head so you could no longer see his eyes. A devious smile came over his face as he answered, "Yes." Suddenly, his head shot up, and his whole body became rigid. His face was blank, his eyes holding no expression. Suddenly, he began to writhe and cringe in pain, his face contorting. He cried out such an awful cry that it woud make anyone want to clamp their hands over their ears. Then, he stopped. His body was still, his face betraying nothing.

Axel warily got closer to him. "...Aidyn?"

The grin reappeared. "Not even close." The voice was so deep, so menacing, so demonic. It was almost like it belonged to a soul already banished to the pits of hell. His hands lit on fire, causing Axel to pull back immediately. He took a few fleeting steps backward, suddenly shooting up into the air. Wings of pure fire appeared on his back as he held his hands above him. A huge burst of blue flame exploded between them, raining down on the entire forest like the apocalypse. It burned everything; the trees, the cattails, the blossoms that were still falling.

Axel's first immediate thought, as soon as the fire began to fall, was to hold onto Miriel. He lunged over and wrapped her in his arms in a frenzied panic. He refused to let go, holding her as tightly as possible. He looked her in the eyes, his face betraying every inch of panic and adrenaline that was pulsating through his veins. He stood in front of her, a misty shadow surrounding her feet.

Without another thought, he lunged out with the hands of Death, trying to choke this monster. They morphed with his own hands, moving as he moved them. They grasped and lunged, but the firey destroyer was too swift. He began to encase himself in fire. Axel reached out with both hands together, just missing him as he vanished from sight. Axel, with a look of rage, hate, and pure disgust on his face, bellowed out to the high heavens, "KALOS!!!!"

As soon as he vanished from sight, every fire destroying the swamp went out. All that was left was burned bark and the smell of ash everywhere. Axel fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands. He had gotten away. He had killed him once, but he had still managed to escape the hands of Death. I will find you, and I will kill you. And this time, you will stay dead, you bastard of hell.

[»Míríel«]

Miriel recoiled from Aidyn as his palms burst into flame. Her knuckles grew white as the gripped her sword tightly. Calanon's neighs and stomping of hooves seemed to fade in the background as the world around her burst into flames. It seemed like a bad dream, one that fills your should and mind with horror, yet glued Your feet to the ground. Aidyn seemed like a man possessed, indeed she soon found out that he was.
The dark grip seemed to be chocking Aidyn into submission. The battle was sickening to watch. There was a story behind this battle for sanity, for a mind of his own. How terrible to be under someone, or something else s control, with no say in the matter. It would have been better is Aidyn had died long ago. For what is life if you cannot choose how to live it?
S This fiery angel seemed stronger than anything Miriel had laid eyes on before. A bitter energy filled the air and seemed to be chocking the life out of you.
Suddenly strong arms wrapped around Miriel, pulling her close. Her eyes met Axel’s the red depths seemed so frantic, so frenzied and worried, like the world had come to an end. Miriel buried her golden head in his chest as if to hide what was happening. She did not see the hands of death groping for the fiery figure. But she felt the despair Axel felt when they missed.
Axel’s form crumpled to the ground, face buried in his hands. Kneeling down Miriel’s eyes were clouded with tears. Reaching out her slender hand separated his strong ones, and held his face gently, smiling sadly down on him. Her heart felt heavy, heavier than it ever had. “Oh Axel…” she gazed at his face tenderly as a tear drifted down her cheek. Then she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him close.
Any more words would not have done justice to the feeling of despair that she felt. Even though Kalos was not someone she was very aquainted with, she knew and had seen enough to dread being in his presence again.


(Meh sorry soo tired so this post will have to do..)

[Miss Fifi]

Axel squeezed his eyes tightly shut, wanting to block out everything else. He tried to flood his mind with thoughts of other things, but the pugnent smell of smoke overwhelmed all else. He returned Miriel's tight embrace, taking in her pleasant scent to delay having to return to any reality. The fact that this monster, this demon, was roaming the world once again gave him such a feeling of sickness he could almost feel it come up his throat. It was such an upsetting thought that it crushed any hopes of a brighter future entirely. This may have seemed lugubrious, but the sad truth was it was quite accurate. Nothing was impossible, no form of destruction, no tragedy, when Kalos was alive. His name may have the meaning of integrity, but he was anything but. Irony. Completely depressing irony.

After a moment more, Axel was forced to pull Miriel's face away and look her in the eyes. His expression was that of a heavy mourning; this was a tragedy for the entire world. He smiled sadly at her and wiped her tear away with his thumb. He put his lips right next to her ear and spoke softly and quietly. "You need to leave this world. The universe beyond this one is the only place where you will be safe from Kalos."

Every word pained him. He didn't want to do this alone, but he knew he had to. It was time to grow up and stop only thinking about himself. It was time to be a big boy and protect those he cared about most. "He only wants to torture me. He'll start by killing off everyone I know and care about, one by one." He pulled back and looked at her directly again. "I'm not about to risk that happening."

[»Míríel«]

Miriel’s heart felt like it was being torn from her chest with every word he spoke. Her blue eyes that were usually so bright and cheerful were clouded with sadness. Why did this say that had started out like a dream have to end like a nightmare?

Lifting her gaze at him she saw that this point was not to be argued. His face showed a set jaw and a desperate look in his eyes. But still her mouth opened to protest but nothing came out. Closing it she looked down sorrowfully as she looked intently into his eyes. It felt like her heart was breaking, splitting painfully, slowly, and deeply. A tear raced down her face again as she tried to smile. Reaching forward she brushed his hair gently out of his eyes. “Just don’t get hurt ok? I couldn’t stand to loose you.. I would be worse than when I lost my father.” She attempted to be lighthearted but it was failing miserably.

“A hug for luck” She hugged him tightly and fiercely before separating and looking at his face, trying to memorize every line, every angle. Then her hand drifted to his and she took another step away. They were at arms length away now. “Go get them tiger and don’t take to long!” She smiled and gave his hand a squeeze before releasing it. Light seemed to circle around her until with a flash she was gone. But as she left the wind seemed to swirl the golden blossoms around Axel. Their gentle touch seemed to kiss his face gently and softly before drifting away through the forest. It was a last farewell and she was gone. Her heart left behind, guarded by that dark angel she had begun to love.

[Miss Fifi]

Axel wished he could promise her nothing would happen. He wished that he could guarantee her that everything would be alright. He wanted to give her a sense of peace, but he had none to give. Even if he did make all of these promises, there would be no true belief behind them. Just useless words. All he could do was return her embrace warmly and watch as she faded from sight. The only comfort he continued to hold on to was the fact that she would no longer be in harm's way.

Once she had disappeared entirely, he picked himself up and looked around at the horrific sight that was only a few moments ago a thriving forest, full of gently falling blossoms. It made his hate for Kalos all the more fierce. He would avenge this place, as he would the thousands of lives lost at that spirit's choking hands. He knew what it was like to be held in his grasp. He felt the overwhelming force take hold of his actions, doing things he would never even think to do on his own. It was horrifying, not having control of your own body.

He shuffled over to one of the charred trees, touching it with his hand. There was no response. Not even the smallest bit of life left within its trunk. The fire was a dark, murderous fire, unlike any natural cause. It wiped out all life and whisked away any chance of recovery with it. That was exactly why Kalos was so dangerous. It wasn't just his power, but the deathly energy behind it. Kalos was a creature of Death itself, a spawn. It spread its misery within everything it laid hands on. He had no salvation, no soul. He simply did as his mind told him to. He was a creature without fear, and that was the most dangerous kind of enemy to have.

With a heavy sigh, he removed his hand from the bark destroyed beyond repair. He kneeled down and ran his fingers through a patch of grass that had been nearly untouched by the flame. He cupped some dirt in his palms and sifted through it, searching for some good soil. When he concluded that it was suitable, he pressed it back into the ground then pressed his hand flat against the ground. A green glow emitted from his palm, delving its way into the dirt. He pulled back his hand and a small little sprout appeared. This was all he could offer, but hopefully it could be a new beginning. With his heart heavy and his mind clouded with dark thoughts, he walked away, allowing nature to take its course on the strong little sprout.

[violet]

Violet watched as the two separated and went their own ways. Her heart ached to have someone care for her like Axel did for Miriel. It was a simple, yet necessary thing to have. Yet Violet somehow knew that it would never happen. She had offered her whole heart to that dark angel and he had broken and trampled on it. Now all she had left was the beaten, bruised, and bleeding heart.

Taking a step out of the cover of darkness, when she knew that Axel was gone, she walked over to the sprout in the ground. it seemed as though not only Axel was going to begin a new life, this whole forest was. Kneeling down she gazed at the sprout. How fragile, yet it held such hope. It made her sick.

Her hand hovered over the sprout to crush it from living, to see something else feel this pain inside her. But her hand stopped right before it hit the little plant. "No...." She backed up until she felt he charred tree behind her. "No, this is not how it is to end...I will not destroy something he created.." A smirk came over her mouth, "Imagine death making a new life. How amusing." Inside her thoughts rang, "how amusing that it isn't with you."

Her blue eyes glanced down as they filled with tears. Her jaw clenched shut and her fists curled into balls. The tear that fell from her eye had to fight to make it past the barrier of will. Jealousy pierced her heart. "Miriel...I know her... if I see her... I will kill her. Then Axel will love me..." Darkness swirled around her feet as her eyes seemed to glow with a madness. "That man... Kalos.. perhaps he will help me.. perhaps he will..." She stopped, suddenly realizing what she had said.

Her fists uncurled back to hands and she leaned against the tree. "just make Axel hate me more...." She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. She seemed drawn to this Kalos, yet she knew she must not join, as long as her heart was in Axel's hands.

Closing her eyes for a moment she took a deep breath, her hand wandering toward the black hand that was still imprinted on her arm. Then she stood straight and tall and walked after where she had seen Axel go, following like a shadow does its master. For that is what she was to him, A shadow cannot live without the master, but the master can live without the shadow.