When My Heart Became Ice - Chapter 20

[[ D E J A • vu ]]

As the end draws near . . .

No one looked at her as she came in. Everyone was bustling around, a quiet murmur around all of them. Emily followed her quietly with Al in her arms.

“Where’s Syn Intuma?” Kyth asked loudly. Everyone looked over at her. They were silent. The second this happened, Kyth’s chest tightened. This was not a good reaction. “Tell me,” She snapped suddenly.

One of the nurses finally pointed off to her left, and Kyth swiftly darted into the room, followed by Emily soon after.

Kyth saw Hykuma in the corner, crying. Her body filled with fear; her eyes grew wild.

“No,” Kyth shook her head swiftly.

Hykuma didn’t even look up. She had curled against herself and wailed in a way that Kyth had never heard anyone cry before. She looked towards the bed in silence, and saw the sheet pulled up over his face.

Kyth’s jaw clenched tightly and she stared in silence at the thin lump that was Syn. He was… Gone.

“S…” Kyth started, but she stopped. If she spoke any more tears would spill over.

Hykuma let out a sudden scream and her fist shot out, making the wall crack. She stood slowly, still sobbing, looking almost drunk as she stood there, swaying unsteadily.

“H…Hykuma…” Kyth whispered.

“He wasn’t supposed to die!” Hykuma wailed. “H-he can’t have died! He’s Syn!”

Kyth felt tears strangling her as she watched Hykuma cry.

Hykuma had always held up walls around her heart. Never had she ever let them down. But, that was before Syn. For Syn, she had made an exception.

That day, after he had come at her with the bloody knife and he had stabbed her in the shoulder. He hadn’t killed her, but he had killed his mother, father, and best friend without a second thought. Instead, he had collapsed, and instead of hating him for hurting her, she had hugged him close as he had cried into her unwounded shoulder.

Hykuma had grown up completely alone. She remembered a fire at the orphanage she had been living at, and during all the commotion she had run off. After a year of being cared for by numerous people, she ran into Syn and his bloody mess.

After that situation had passed, the two were inseparable, completely attached to the hip. Syn would go off and hunt food for them and when he returned she would cook them.
He always was like her pet puppy; always by her side, sleeping curled up with his head on her belly. When human bullies came to pick on her because of her hair and eyes, Syn would automatically become her guard dog, fiercely protecting her to the point where she knew that no matter where she went, she would never have to be afraid. Syn was her protector, and in turn, she protected him. From himself.

As they grew, Hykuma got herself a job at the Order and Syn did as well. As she was an Infirmary doctor and Syn was a Reacher, they didn’t see each other often. After Syn’s 5th attack—all including at least 10 humans—the Order simply fired him. He stayed in the Infirmary with Hykuma during the day time and at night went wandering around to find blood.

Now… Now, after being with him for nearly her entire life, she had no idea what to do. She didn’t know what she could possibly do with herself.

Her life had been about taking care of Syn and herself and now… He was… Just gone.

“Syn,” Hykuma sobbed. She suddenly let out another angry cry and smashed her fist against the wall again, making it crack.

“H-Hykuma,” Kyth choked out, shaking still. “Stop it.”

“NO!” Hykuma shrieked at her. “He’s dead because of you, Kyth Kimata! You idiot! You let your guard down around one person and he gets you kidnapped and Syn insists on going to save you! Look what it did to him! LOOK!”

Kyth’s eyes filled with tears. “Don’t you yell at me!” She screamed.

“Stop it!” Emily yelled suddenly. “Just stop, both of you. Screaming and yelling at e-each other doesn’t help!” Even Emily was upset. She was obviously remembering Rynu.

“Syn,” Alabaster mumbled softly, and reached towards the covered body.

Hykuma began crying again. She slumped against the ground and fell into her own little heap of sobs.

Alabaster reached out for Syn again, but Emily simply held him closer.

In a wild flurry of wiggling, Alabaster escaped Emily’s arms and landed on two feet on the floor. For a 2 month old baby, he was extremely smooth at walking and everything else he did.

He walked over to the bed and jumped up onto the sheets, and Emily rushed over to stop him but Kyth held a hand up, staring.

Alabaster was putting his hands on Syn’s chest, and within moments, markings were drawing themselves on his hands and arms, lighting up as they went.

Kyth walked over slowly, staring.

Alabaster’s markings continued to glow and within second, Kyth reached over and lifted the sheet carefully from Syn’s body.

He was pale, his eyes closed. He looked like he was sleeping, with his soft white hair around his face and his lips pulled up into a slight smile.

Alabaster’s markings continued glowing, and Kyth placed her hands on Syn’s thin chest, right across from Al’s, and her markings began to glow.

She focused only on the poison in Syn’s body. The poison was the only thing keeping him dead. Well, other than death. However, Kyth had the strangest feeling that maybe Alabaster could…

Without warning, Syn’s chest jerked, and Kyth let out a scream, yanking her hands away. When she looked at him, he was still dead though. Al was still using his powers. Whatever they were.

Syn’s chest gave another jerk. And another. And another and another until finally, breath was sucked into his lungs.

In a flailing frenzy Syn jerked up and swiftly caught Alabaster in midair, who giggled and wiggled.

“SYN!” Hykuma screamed, and rushed over. Emily quickly took Al from him and Syn looked up at Hykuma, dazed.

Hykuma clamped her arms around Syn and held onto him tightly, crying into his chest.

“Hykuma…?” Syn asked quietly, pulling her into his lap. He held her close to his chest and gently gave her cheek a lick before tilting his head at her. “Why are you crying, Hykuma?”

“Y-you were dead!” Hykuma sobbed into his shoulder, clutching him tighter. “You were dead and Alabaster brought you back!”

“I was…” Syn stopped. He looked over at Kyth, still looking dazed. Then a grin spread across his face. “Did you guys take pictures?”

“No you idiot!” Hykuma smacked his shoulder and let out a weird mix of a cry and a sob.

Syn tilted his head at her slightly and then gently pulled her closer in his arms. Kyth motioned to Emily to leave, and she followed Kyth out of the room.

“I th-thought you were gone…” Hykuma sobbed. “I thought I w-would never see you again!”

Syn held her closer and gave the scar on her shoulder a couple of licks. He said nothing but simply kept licking at the scar softly, like every tongue-stroke would make it better. Surprisingly, Hykuma slowly began to calm, and her death-grip on him slowly loosened.

“My Hykuma,” Syn murmured against her neck.

He laid his head softly on her shoulder and she stroked his hair delicately, as though he might break.

“Syn…” She whispered.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

“So I hear you came back to life,” Kyth said when Syn walked into her office a week later. She sat in her spinning chair, a lollipop in her mouth.

“Er, yeah,” Syn grinned. “I thought Heaven was boring so I just came right back.”

Kyth raised an eyebrow. “Heaven? For you? I don’t think so.”

Syn’s grin widened, showing his sharp teeth. “Well Hell is my Heaven, so there’s really no difference to me.”

“Don’t make me throw this chair at you.”

“You wouldn’t hurt me, would you? After I just died and came back?”

“Yes. Yes I would.”

Syn pouted at her. “You’re cruel.”

Kyth stood and strode over to him. She looked up at him. “Idiot,” She muttered.

Syn smiled slowly. “I want to cut you up.”

“You’ve always wanted to, Syn Intuma, and you never will.”

Syn shuffled over to the chair across from hers and hopped up into it, sitting there with his knees pulled up to his chest. He watched her with his bright, cobalt blue eyes as she sat.

“Review,” She muttered, holding her lollipop in the air. “Quiz me.”

“Er… Nyun,” Syn offered.

“Nyun was the mastermind behind the chemical and made it so he could kill all the Reachers and take over. He also created the Garthers for this as well. Next.”

“Alabaster.”

“Alabaster is the key, meaning that he has the three majorly powerful powers; construction, destruction, and control. So basically the building of molecules from nothing—Rynu’s power, the destruction of any molecule—my power, and the control of a human body—your power. These power signatures mixed together made Rynu’s sword—which he had recorded the cure to the chemical on when he figured it out—light up. He knew that no one but me would let Alabaster touch the sword, so he knew it would get to me.”

“Rynu’s death,” Syn’s eyes flashed.

“Rynu died because he found out the cure to the chemical, and also who was behind it. Nyun had to kill him because it would have given away his entire plan.” Kyth stated everything with quiet dignity.

“Why did I come back to life?” Syn looked at her.

“Al’s powers of construction, destruction, and control easily made your heart and lungs start working again and removed anything dangerous to you from your system, as well as recreating cells. He basically artificially started you back up.”

Syn smirked. “You’re good.”

Kyth looked over at him and then asked, “What’s it like to die?”

Giving a wide, toothy grin, Syn replied, “It’s like falling asleep. You didn’t even know that it happened.”

Kyth’s small smile faded, and she looked at him with her purple and green eye, carefully, studying him. Syn shrank under her gaze, nervous.

“You’re not gonna hit me, are you?” Syn asked suspiciously.

“No,” Kyth sighed and spun around in her spinning chair. “Too bored to.”

“Well if you’re bored we could go see Hykuma maybe….”

“Hykuma!” Kyth pointed to him and he became rigid, staring with wide-eyes. “Her powers. What are they?”

Syn shook his head stubbornly.

Kyth stood menacingly. “You better tell me, Syn, or I’ll use this chair and Alabaster will have to bring you back to life again!”

Syn let out a squeak and darted from the room. Kyth followed close behind, leaping at him. He dodged her each time, and she growled in frustration as she remembered that Syn was quicker and better at his job then she thought he was.

“Syn!” Kyth cried, but he didn’t turn like Nyun had. He just kept running.

To her surprise, he slipped to a stop, his bare feet coming out from under him as he scrambled towards a doorway. He managed to get on his feet and dart in before she reached him.

When she walked in, she saw they were at the Infirmary, and Syn was hiding behind Hykuma, who looked surprised and confused all at once.

“S-Syn, what in the world…?” Hykuma asked, trying to turn around to see him. He stayed still so Hykuma was between him and Kyth, who stood there with her hands on her hips looking amused.

Hykuma turned so she was facing him, and he brought her up in his usual clutching grip and laid his lips against her shoulder. Hykuma smiled softly. “Synnie, what in the world are you doing?”

“Kumie,” He mumbled, and she blushed fiercely and wriggled from his grip. He fell over as she walked away, reaching towards her. “No!” He cried.

Kyth stood over him, looking down. She grinned, “Good thing we’re in the infirmary.”

Syn let out another squeak and darted after Hykuma, but Kyth caught the collar of his shirt and he let out a choking sound as he was dragged back.

“Tell me her powers,” Kyth demanded, gripping his hair.

“That’s my hair,” Syn whined, trying to run every way.

“Tell me.”

“No…”

“Tell me now, Syn,” Kyth’s hand tightened.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow!” Syn yelped.

“Tell me and it’ll stop hurting.”

“She has the power to control people’s breathing… She can make you fall asleep, knock you out, or kill you based on just that. Or she could just make you hyperventilate…”

Kyth raised an eyebrow. “That’s how she knocked Nyun out?”

“Mm hm… What happened to that… That… Er… Magical… Banana… Anyway?”

“Magical banana?” Kyth asked skeptically.

“Hykuma told me to say it instead of cursing,” Syn mumbled, looking down. She still had his hair trapped in her deadly fingers.

“Well anyway, that ‘magical banana’ was put into the Cells.”

“Oh…” Syn looked up at her, and then prodded her fingers. “Can you let go of my hair now?”

“Sure,” Kyth shrugged and let him go.

Syn scrambled through the Infirmary to rejoin Hykuma. He clamped his arms around her waist and lay his head on her belly, sitting on his knees. She looked down at him, surprised at first, and then began petting his soft hair.

“So territorial,” She tsked.

He licked her arm.

“Ew,” She commented.

Kyth smiled slowly at the two and then walked out of the Infirmary, continuing on towards her office. She halted at the door and looked off to her right. Hesitantly, she started off in the other direction.

“What happened to the new leader?” She asked someone the moment they passed.

“He was fired,” The platinum-blond haired girl replied. “Something about making room for a new leader.”

Kyth sighed and nodded, and continued her way to the leader’s office. Certainly, they would have gotten all of Rynu’s things to her house by now, but…

She set her hand on the familiar door handle and opened it slowly. No one sat in the room that was decorated with dark, rich, cherry wood. She looked over towards the desk, at the tall chair, and she let her mind wish a little. She imagined Rynu sitting there, grinning his usual grin at her, his coffee and her hot chocolate on his desk.

Slowly, she walked over to the desk and ran her hands along it. She remembered that he always brought two extra, empty cups, and they would each pour half of their drink into one and the other half into the other. Hot chocolate coffee. It was a drink she missed.

Kyth touched the chair delicately. She remembered when she was little and he was just old enough, he would sit in the chair and hold her in his lap. She blinked slowly. Their father had been the leader, and his father had been the leader, and it continued on like that for as long as they could remember. A Kimata had been the Reacher to start the Order.

Kyth sighed slowly. She had been the first girl born into the Kimata family for centuries. She had been a miracle to everyone. Rynu had been extremely happy to have a little sister, and she had been extremely happy to have an older brother. They were joined at the hip, rarely fought, and when he went away on missions, Kyth always had trouble sleeping. She cried all night when she was younger and he wasn’t there.

The Legacy had to live on.

“I won’t be changing last names any time soon, Rynu…” She whispered quietly. “I’ll stay until Alabaster is old enough… I know he’ll be the greatest leader ever… Besides you, of course…”

Kyth ran her fingers along the intricate designs.

“The leadership is going to be passed onto Al, hm?” The voice made her look up. A man stood there, with dark blue hair and light gray eyes. He was tall and thin like Syn but more muscled. His eyes held a seductive look in them.

“How do you know me and Al?” I asked.

“No reason,” He gave a shrug. “You just hear things around here. Alabaster’s the one who can bring people back to life.”

Kyth watched this man. She had never seen him before, but…

“Are you the new leader?” She asked suddenly.

He laughed. “No, definitely not.” He pushed his hands in his pockets and walked over to her. She bristled slowly, but she didn’t know why.

“Who are you then?” She asked. She didn’t feel afraid of him, just… Nervous. And not in the way that would suggest he was here for malicious reasons. Just nervous.

“Ren Kima,” He held out a hand to her, and she took it slowly, expecting a shake, but he slowly drew her hand up and kissed the back of it softly. She stiffened, staring. “Level 27.”

“Kyth Kimata,” She said slowly as he let her hand free. “Level 16.”

“Actually,” Ren pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. “I’d like to say that you have been promoted.”

Kyth slowly took the paper from him and read over it. “Miss Kimata, we are pleased to inform you that because of your recent shows of power, dedication, and skill we are promoting you up to level t-twenty-five…” She stopped and stared. Bumped up 9 whole levels?!

“Keep reading,” Ren grinned.

“A-and we would also like to inform you that, on the previous leader’s request, you have been promoted once more. Your status is now the leader of the Order.”

Kyth stared blankly at the paper, and then started laughing. She fell into her chair—no, Rynu’s, it would always be Rynu’s—and laughed her heart out.

Ren was smiling at her.

Kyth wondered why in the world she was feeling like this; maybe it was because she was giddy from the good news or maybe it was just because of some unknown reason, but her guard had come down. Here was Ren, someone she didn’t know at all, and her guard had been let down as easily as a feather. He had pried away her defenses with a simple smile.

She glanced over at him and said, “Well… That’s exciting news you’ve brought me.”

“Thank you,” Ren’s grin widened. “How about, to celebrate that exciting news, I take you to dinner tonight, hm? It’s on me.”

Startled, Kyth stumbled over her words for the first time, “B-but I-I… I m-mean…”

“It’s fine,” Ren smirked. “You can pay.”

“No, that’s not…” Kyth stopped and laughed. “Fine. Pick me up at 7.”

“Will you be here?” He smiled slowly.

“Yeah,” She grinned right back, completely drunk on happiness.

“Good,” He gave her silver hair a pat and walked out.

Kyth turned slowly in the seat, smiling softly. Her green and purple eyes drifted across the desk and she noticed a jar of lollipops sitting there; something that hadn’t been there before.

She took out a red one and unwrapped the wrapper. She sucked on it a moment.

She twirled the seat around, looking around in silence. Nyun. She wondered if he suffered when he died all those years ago. She wondered if he knew that they were sending a replacement.

She closed her eyes and prayed for him. She wasn’t very religious, but she felt as though Nyun deserved a heaven of some sort.

Kyth gave a sort of sigh.

The door suddenly opened and Syn shuffled in. She glanced at him. “What do you want?” She asked.

“I got promoted to level 25,” He said. “That’s funny.”

“I know, me too. I’m also the new leader.”

Syn tilted his head at her. “Good luck,” He scoffed. “And by the way, we have a mission. Level 16.”

“Hm,” Kyth grinned slowly. “Should be fun. I’ll meet you by the gate.”

Syn nodded and scampered away.

Kyth turned in her chair and then stood.

She took hold of her lollipop and snapped her teeth down on it with a defining clack.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]


I must say goodbye.

And good riddance.