Strays: A Romantic Fantasy Adventure

They would head north.

With one foot in front of the other, the future before them, the past at their backs, they’d make their way one step at a time.

The days and weeks would pass as they followed the path into the next village and the next, continuing on through different towns and in and out of the cities. Libraries would be scoured, countless conversations had with people who could only shrug and wish them luck on their search, open ends left unmended.

They would settle at sunset, build their fire, roast their food. They would talk, discuss the day, plan the next. They would stare into the sky, watch the stars, the moon. They would set their tent, crawl in, sleep. They would wake in the morning and do it again.

It had become so normal. Just a way of life. As if this was all they had ever known. As if there had never been any other way.

They were all separate, but together.

All different, but the same.

Volsceen may have been another letdown, but it certainly hadn’t been the first, and, unfortunately, as time had shown so many times before, it probably wouldn’t be the last. However, the heaviness of failure weighed a little less on Sakura these days. She still felt it, still hated it, but she had begun to come to terms with it. It used to devastate her to have to look at the girl next to her, the reality of the situation creeping closer and closer, forcing her to acknowledge the cruelties of life.

Had the girl actually been abandoned?

Had whoever left her never planned on coming back?

What if they left her to die?

What if no one had loved her?

What if they only seen her as a burden?

Sakura could accept her own shortcomings, every negative thing about herself, how she could be more trouble than not. She could live with every terrible emotion and thought that brought her down. She knew how far from perfect she was, how unfair she could be. And, despite it all, had found a way to find content in the mess she’d create.

In the chaos.

As the imperfect being that she was.

But Ivy was not her.

She was good.

She was pure.

She was all that was right in the world.

How she had effortlessly taken Sakura’s hand and led her away from the mayhem that had enveloped her spirit in her darkest hour and brought her back into the light, her smile and the glow of her eyes a beacon of hope. A promise of tranquility the woman never thought possible.

And Sakura could see how it came so natural to Ivy, pulling everyone around her into her orbit. How even Ren had been instantly smitten, completely wrapped around the girl’s finger at first sight. The way he looked at her with adoration and awe. How he cherished her, happily giving into her whims and doting on her at every opportunity. How he always gave and never expected anything in return.

How he loved her.

Exactly the way Sakura did.

The girl was so much more than either of them could ever ask for.

A light in the darkness to show the way.

A gift that neither deserved.

One they would cherish.

Give anything for.

On this morning, just like so many others, Sakura would bicker with Ren as they followed the path, the way they had always done since they were children. It was familiar and safe, and she sought out the comfort of his eyes and voice. She had had nothing before he reached out to her. But now she wanted for nothing more than what he could provide. It didn’t matter what she had before. Only what she had now. What she could have.

The woman would watch the pair in front of her; their hands tightly clasped, their eyes locked, their smiles for one another. She would see the similarities that her and the man shared with them.

Ivy didn’t have a past beyond the one that the two of them had created together. But her present and future would be so much more. She would be happy and have everything she needed.

And Zero would give it to the girl.

Just as Ren had done for her.

Sakura would never be able to leave her.

But she could let her go. Let go of her hand.

Because the boy would be there to take it.

To walk beside her.

Like it was exactly where they were meant to be.

Together.

The girl would chatter, the sounds from her lips soft and dreamy. She would talk about all the things she wanted to do, the plans that she had, the possibilities that could be. She was so happy, full of hope.

Full of life.

She would look up at him and smile, and he would do the same.

She was so close. When she had pulled away that morning she hadn’t felt the uncontrollable blaze. She just felt the warmth. The light.

She felt everything.

She felt almost whole.

She almost had control.

Her words would turn to song that would carry her along. Her hand would leave his, but she would always stay close, never straying too far away. The melody from her lips, rising and falling, coming and going, high and low. Their gazes would break. They would separate.

The fire.

The light.

The warmth.

The one.

Zero would watch her. The way her body moved, the expressions on her face. All of it mesmerizing, intoxicating, pulling him in. He would listen to her voice, the melody that guided his way.

Calling him.

Bringing him to her.

Ever since the beginning.

Always.

She would dance along the path, spinning further and further ahead, leaving a trail of enchantment in her wake like breadcrumbs on the ground. Her fingers would reach towards the warm sun in the sky, touching it if only she could. Her toes would sweep across the ground, keeping her firmly rooted to the earth. Her head would sway, her hair and eyes like a gift from the moon.

She was a tribute to the night.

She was a praise to the day.

The boy loved her.

She was everything.

She was life.

His life.

“Zero!”

Her scream.

Frantic.

Horrified.

That familiar feeling seeping into his mind, disconnecting. The twisting and grinding in his skull, growing.

Of life and death.

That which there was no difference.

Zero would look at the handle of the spear through his neck, the hot rivers of blood trickling down and soaking into his shirt, trying to understand how he got here.

He would look at Ivy.

He would look at the devil with eyes of blood just like his.

He would watch the devil’s arm wrap around her chest.

The devil’s hand tighten around her throat.

He would feel the squeeze cutting off the oxygen to his lungs.

He would watch the devil lower his head, his lips against her ear, breathing her in.

The scent of life.

Zero’s life.

“I’ve found you.”

Her eyes would go wide. Her mouth would silently scream. Her hands would try to reach out to him.

And she would be gone.