Fly High, Burn Bright

Chapter 9

The walk home was full of our breathless laughter as we joked about anything and everything, our company to one another somehow making everything seem funny. It was so easy to be around him, just enjoying each other's presence and basking in the comfort of one another. I was lucky - so very lucky - to have Keigo as both my closest friend and as my lover. I gazed at him in pure admiration, the entire world fading around me until it was only him. He was talking about something, his hand holding mine as he passionately explained one of his many interests, but it all became a background noise. I watched him speak as if he were in slow motion, every one of his movements perfect to me.

Only when Keigo came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the street, waving his hand in front of my face did I snap out of my trance. "Hello? Earth to Kira," Keigo teased. "I know I'm handsome, but I thought you'd at least have enough self control to pay attention to something other than my face."

"Yeah, because I realized how similar you and the toy look," I retorted, pulling the stuffed hawk up again and shoving it a little closer to Keigo, making him lean back a little, and I giggled.

"Oh, sure, Kira. You and I both know I'm much more attractive," he smirked, grabbing the toy out of my hand and holding it just out of reach, and when I swung forward to get it back, Keigo caught me in his arms, giving me a sweet kiss on the lips to distract me from the fact that the stuffed bird was still out of my reach. I broke apart from him, quickly jumping up to steal the toy out of his hand.

Keigo pouted a little, and I just grinned back at him. "Aw, is my baby bird jealous that the plushie is getting more attention than him?" I gave Keigo a playful smile before leaning in to give him a quick peck on the lips. "Don't worry, you'll always be my favorite, no matter what."

"I better be," Keigo frowned, and I poked his cheek with one finger, making us both giggle, and before we knew it, we were outside the apartment complex. I unlocked the lobby door, waving at the receptionist before Keigo and I entered the elevator, riding it up to the top floor before entering our quiet apartment. We kicked off our sandals and collapsed onto the couch in our living room, Keigo grabbing the remote to turn on that show from before as we snuggled against one another. After a few episodes flew by and the evening turned into night, I dragged Keigo off the couch and sent him to wash up before bed, cleaning the apartment a little as I waited for my turn.

I walked to the kitchen, cleaning away the stray take-out bag from yesterday that Keigo must've forgotten to throw out. Other than that, the kitchen was more or less clean, with one mug standing on the counter. I glanced into it, the dregs of the coffee still at the bottom of the cup, and with a small sigh, washed it out and set it to dry. My eyes landed on a sticky note on the kitchen table that definitely wasn't there this morning, and I frowned a little, wiping my hands on a towel before walking to the table.

"Kira? Your turn!" Keigo shouted from the hallway, turning my attention away from the note before walking into the kitchen, his hair still wet as he ruffled it with one hand to help it dry out a little. I glanced back to him, blushing a little when I saw that he only wore sweatpants now and gave him a quick nod. I'll just check that note out later.  I took a quick shower, thoroughly washing my long black hair and blow drying it for a few minutes so that it wasn't dripping, and changed into an oversized sweater and some loose pants before leaving the washroom.

I quickly walked to the kitchen, but the sticky note was nowhere to be seen. Huh, strange. Maybe Keigo took it? I made my way to the bedroom, where I spotted the toy hawk laying on our bookshelf, and Keigo was sitting on the bed, frowning a little at his phone. I leaned against the door frame, running a hand through my hair to untangle some of the stray knots.

"What's up?" I asked, nodding at his phone, making Keigo get a little startled. Did he really not hear me? Whatever it is, he must be pretty worried. "You're glaring at your phone a little hard."

"O-oh, it's nothing!" Keigo waved his hands in a panicked gesture. "Don't worry about it! I was just catching up with an old friend."

I raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?"

"Yep. Completely. Absolutely." I just shook my head a little, pursing my lips, and Keigo sighed in defeat. "Just... some work stuff. I promise it's nothing."

"Okay, okay!" I lifted my hands in a 'I give up' motion. "I believe you. But don't stress out too much about it, alright?" I gave him a smile, and Keigo returned it to me, putting his phone on the bedside table and waving me over to lay down beside him. I rolled my eyes a little. "Keigo, my hair is still wet."

"Too bad. I want cuddles."

I sighed in defeat before lowering myself onto the bed beside him. "Fine, just don't go complaining about it later, or I'll smack you." Keigo grinned at the empty threat and wrapped me in his arms, squishing me into his chest. I snaked my arms around his waist, the bottom feathers of his wings tickling my skin and making me smile. I felt one of Keigo's hands gently rubbing the back of my head, while the other rested on the small of my back, and I relaxed into the touch, closing my eyes in content. I didn't know how long I'd stayed like that - maybe minutes, maybe hours - but eventually, I felt myself drift off to sleep.

That's when it began. I heard her scream first. It was both distant and up-close, both terrified and painful. No matter how hard I tried to stop it, no matter how tightly I pressed my hands against my ears, it was still there, shrill and piercing. Then the flashes started. Brief scenes that stayed for no longer than a second, appearing all at once and blinding me with the different images. It was hard to see even one clearly, much less all of them at once, but I didn't need to. I still remembered that day perfectly, the memory carved into my mind forever. I didn't need this silly nightmare to remind me of something that always stayed at the back of my mind anyway.

Still, I tried my best to push the images away, but it did no good. They seemed to swarm all around me, pressing down and pulling at me at the same time, not giving me a single break. I did my best to not pay attention to them - by now, I'd seen them so many times that I knew every single one like the back of my hand. It didn't work. Every image flashed before my eyes, playing in almost slow motion. I saw the fight all over again. I saw her dodging every attack, advancing forward with a confidence that only the strongest of people had. I saw her go in for the final blow. Then, I saw her die.

She was blown backwards by an invisible force, sent flying into the ground at a fatal speed, but it wasn't enough for that hell-sent villain. Her arms were carved first, foreign, rune-like symbols cutting across her skin. Then, her throat bore the same punishment. Her screams of pain only got louder with each passing second, tearing me apart. I wanted to rush forward, I wanted to help, I wanted to take her place instead, but my feet were rooted to the ground. Her eyes found mine for the briefest moment, and all she could do was mouth the word run. Then, another ear-shattering scream rang out, and no matter how many times I tried to stop myself, I shut my eyes, only opening them after the deafening silence crushed down on me.

I was too late. I couldn't help her, and now, she was gone. The flashing images all merged into one, and my feet finally let me move. I took a shaky step forward, and then another, but it was pointless. She was way beyond help. Her limbs were covered in the bleeding symbols and were completely chopped off from her body, and even though I knew what came next, and even though I tried to look away, it was almost as if my eyes gravitated to where her head lay a little farther away from her body, her mouth locked forever in a silent scream, her beautiful eyes wide in pain, a thousand small cuts all over her face. She was dead.

My eyes flew open as I gasped for breath, trying to calm down my racing heartbeat as the sounds of my dead sister's screams still echoed in my ears.