Resurrecting the Twin

[Guest]

"How many years has it been?" Celesto murmured to himself in the darkness. His hands were caressing his eye patch, slowly untying the string and letting it fall to the floor boards at his feet. His heart pounded against his chest, an unseeing eye cast further into the very darkness of his own soul. This time--this time for sure... The small pentagon window in his room was open, a freezing winter breeze entering and tossing papers around in the leaking moonlight. The papers were filled with years of calculations that he had lived his whole life to discern. A circle was drawn into the floor perfectly in pale, white chalk. Sky blue eyes shifted from the masterpiece and to the pile of chemicals collected in a jar made of the Ceres crystals from his lightning. Everything was there--everything that a human being possessed. How simple it seemed... But just the circle and these chemicals hadn't been enough. Tonight was going to be different. And so would be the results.

He looked inhuman, standing there bathed in moonlight. His golden hair latched itself to the silvery light, dripping down the nape of his neck and meeting the gaze of a sharpened blade. He caressed the thin tendrils with the tip until a ripping sound burst from the contact. Celes' long hair fell from his grip, collecting in the cracks of wood around the circle. Their DNA was identical. So this, and... He raised the knife to his wrist, a cruel frown gathering on his usually smiling lips. His favorite facade was long gone. Celesto was planning on giving his life for Karis. He had nothing left to live for--no value in his existence. If this failed, what reason would he have to try again? He had nothing left to sacrifice. He was worthless.

As he sliced his wrist open and painted his blood over the large circle, he thought back to the time at the festival. Euphie and her long, lavender hair in the woman's bathroom watching him wistfully as he set up bombs. His first kiss, her captivating eyes in a fit of surprise and brief passion. Their eventful escape and the bombs conjured to life behind their retreating backs. Since Karis' death, Celes had learned mastery over nearly every element: fire, wind, water, lightning, and...love. A bitter sweet smile flickered to his dying lips and he stared at his searing wrist. The minute pain fluttered through his nerves, but he easily ignored it. Please just let me talk to my brother before I die...I just want to say one thing. "Will I ever be happy again?" He whispered to the moon peering through his window. He closed his eyes, bare feet touching the very edges of the human transmutation circle. Celesto S. Krow took a deep breath and feel to his knees.

Memories flooded behind his eyelids--horror-filled nightmares that had once been reality. It called him... The inhuman thing had been alive...just briefly he had retrieved his brother's soul. It was possible. He had to picture him--every detail identical to his own. His hair was now the length it had been then... Everything had to be the same. With vicious eyes, glinting in the dim lightning, Celesto held the pictures and all the knowledge he obtained in front of his eyes, ready to make it materialize in front of him no matter what the cost. Take me--take my entire existence; I don't care!! He shot with his mind into the powdery circle that was covered in drying blood. He slammed his hands against the floor and listened to it creak beneath his weight. Would the whole pirate ship break down from this power? He hoped he could at least spare his friends the misfortune he carried with him everywhere. He thought of it--everything and the entire room filled with bright yellow transmutation circles. They collected in the air all around him. The large one on the floor mirrored onto the ceiling and over each opposing wall. The entire room was painted in Celes' alchemy. He didn't need to draw the circles, they birthed from deep within him. This was his only gift.

He wasn't sure when he lost conscious--if at all, but he found his mind and soul trapped just beyond The Gate. "Hello, World," Celesto said sardonically. The white being sitting in the air raised nonexistent eyebrows, furrowing its genderless brow in seeming thought. The blond laughed bitterly and held out his arms. "Take what you want, leave the rest, but send back my brother. It mimicked his every movement and then smiled a teethe grin that made Celesto think that it was about to devour his flesh. He stepped back slightly, feeling fear for the first time that night. His skin crawled as if a million nails were running gingerly over it. "W-well?" He stuttered, cold eyes meeting the existence that is all.

"You cannot bring back the dead," it said as if it was the cold, hard truth that everyone else knew. The Truth... Celesto's heart clenched and a sharp pain writhed in his chest. What had his whole life been for then?! "But... that is only what you humans have been led to believe. Look," it said, motioning to the blank whiteness that surrounded them. And suddenly Celes could see out of both his eyes. And he saw--he saw everything. There were bodies...countless, unseeing, festering bodies that weren't moving. His stomach flipped and he turned to the side, sure he was going to be sick. The white being raised a hand and the feeling passed. Just what...was this? There were so many questions he wanted to ask. He opened his mouth. "You cannot have everything. Take only what you have come here for. Remember your true intentions and if you waver, it will have been for naught. Humans...cannot know. There are things you cannot know and things that you shouldn't know. You know more than you should. Do not seek to know more. Your existence is already tainted with unreceding pain. I will take what is left of your value. Should you lose something important again, you will no longer mean anything." The World motioned to the fading piles and piles of bodies that littered the entire space. It never ended. "Find him."

Days...months...years--how long was it? Celesto was lost. He swayed through the mists of disappearing bodies, digging through fellow Drachmans and Amestrians, Cretans, Criegs, Aerugese, Xingese... Who were all these people?! He felt his sanity leaving with the sweat that stung his eyes and poured in rivets down his neck. His fingernails were bent and bloodied from digging and digging. Never would he find his brother... Karis was lost. And for the zillionth time, his hoarse voice rung through the deadly silence of nothingness. "KARIS!!!!!!!!!!!!" Time was running out. He was dying, he felt himself fading too...like all the others, he was becoming useless and...one of them--lifeless and blank. He would lose himself. But he had to keep going...had to keep going. He began humming a song, to keep his thoughts at bay. And soon he began whispering the words to the forlorn shells of humans he stepped on and pushed aside. Although he wished to save them all, there was only one he could. "I want to stand at the top of a mountain," he sang, "And whisper before we are destroyed 'Keep going' The caress of winter and neon lights A cold kiss Licking at the seams of history I’m slipping In high heels— In boots And find the faraway sound of a bell ringing...Can you hear it too? The graffiti on the wall reads 'The end is near', but I want to stand at the top of a mountain And whisper before we are destroyed 'Keep going.'" His voice wavered, energy pouring out of him. How long could he go without food or water? It seemed as if he could survive without it... And then his cold fingers wound around something--the smooth, familiar touch of skin that was no one else. It was Karis. He knew it was Karis before he pulled out the body from under a pregnant woman. He gazed on the unburnt skin, the closed eyelids that weren't gazing, dead at the sky. This...was a miracle. Alchemy could do this? He was preserved...just as he was before death clutched him. Celes felt tears--real tears--run down his cheeks as he clung his brother to him and stared up at the white nothingness of a sky. "I've found him," he whispered to nothing in particular. How long had he been in...here?

"You have gained years in your soul," a floating voice boomed from the depths of everything, "in reality, no time has passed; it has been passed onto your twin's body instead. He will be the same age as you now when he is brought back. Keep the knowledge clear in your mind or his soul will reject its natural container. Concentrate..." it whispered, the sound fading into the white. Celesto felt his arms lighten and glanced down to notice that Karis was no longer with him. No... he wanted to scream. But instead, he threw away himself--his emotions--his wishes--all his existence, and focused. He let memories cloud his mind, fixtures of alchemic waves, bouncing off every fiber of his body. Light and circles, mixtures of magic, words, and symbols crowded into the white space and spun Celes into oblivion.

When he came back to his body all he knew was pain. Make it go away, he shrieked in his mind, clawing at the wood, only to catch one of his nails on a nail. He didn't notice, because his mind had plunged into hell. He waited for it...he waited for death to bristle its cold, bony fingers up his spine and clasp his neck. He waited, his eyes sealed shut. And when he opened them, he was once again blind in one. And...he was alive. He was breathing, his lungs pitching and heaving as he sucked in each breath. He was alive. And in front of him... the steam was clearing and beady eyes didn't meet his own, nor did the croaking word that had tormented him all this time... Instead, Celesto's lips formed the single word that had carried over the ages to this very moment. "Br-bro-thher?" There was no answer. Or if there was...he couldn't hear it because his ears were ringing so loud he thought he would go deaf. Darkness ate at the corners of his vision, licking over his pupils until they shrank to nothing, drowning in a sea of unseeing blue. Celes for the first time realized he was holding himself up with just one arm instead of two. He glanced to the side and saw horror with hazy vision. It was gone. His left arm was gone, cut cleanly off. Was that...was that all it took? Just an arm? His twin's body and soul for an ar-- Nightmares during the day--it was a voice in his head clear as a bell ringing from beyond The Gate. It was still glowing. The circle was still glowing. He had to concentrate. The wrist he had cut was aching more than the severed arm. Numb..it was so numb--numb enough to allow his mind to fasten itself around the circles glowing throughout the room. And all at once, on their own accord, they vanished and Celesto collapsed onto the ground. His chin slamming into the the chalk, eyes fluttered closed, but as much as he wanted to he couldn't pass out. The numbness was running out of him, carrying the pain he had woken to back into his system. He cried out, rolling on the ground and clutching at the stub that spurted blood all over the floor. There was so much...there was no way he was going to survive. But he wasn't losing consciousness. Why...why, why!? Was this part of the curse!?

[Guest]

It was a strange night. Her footsteps resounded throughout the silent ship - the occasional creak causing her to jump at the sound. Why... why was she doing this? She was never up this late... what was going on? The sound of her heartbeat kept her mind tethered, she was sure that otherwise, she'd be going insane...

Her eyes closed for a second, before opening once more, the darkness unchanging before her eyes. A small 'kuu' sound left the woman's lips, and she let her footfalls take her to wherever she thought she was going... which she still wasn't sure of. Aren sighed softly, and brought a hand up, leaning against the wall. Of all the places... she was still not used to this one. It made her kinda seasick.

A slight groan escaped her throat, and she stumbled forwards, landing on her knees, sweating slightly from the feeling. The girl looked up, and saw it... No, she felt it. She could feel it surging through her heart like electricity. The Alchemy... it was beginning. But... what Alchemy? The only Alchemist on this ship was...

"C...Celes?" Her mouth dropped slightly, and Aren pushed down off of the ground, getting to her feet. She stumbled again, before taking a few steps forwards, wondering what was going in that direction, wondering why she felt this energy... It was strange, wasn't it? Why was this energy... She took one of her arms, and rubbed her shoulder carefully. This wasn't normal. Why did this make her feel sick to her stomach, moreso than the motion sickness?

Ba-thump. Her heart. It sounded out loud - Aren willed it to quieten, knowing that it was only within her mind that it sounded. But if she didn't will it, would it quieten? If it quietened, would she have her own will any longer? The woman pondered this, as she approached the source of the feelings...

Ba-thump, ba-thump. Shut up, damnit! She wanted to tear out that damned muscle herself!

The next sound... wasn't her heart. It was... what was it? It sounded like electricity... No, no it wasn't. It was the sound that she heard whenever Celes transmuted something. So that feeling... wasn't wrong? The girl sneezed slightly, and took another pair of cautious steps.

While most humans... would've turned tail by now, Aren was prepared to continue. She would soldier on. It was what she did. The woman's steps took her to the door of Celes' cabin, and she knocked once. Twice. Three times.

No answer, but still the feeling of that overwhelming energy coming from within. The girl's eyes snapped open slightly, and she pushed open the wooden slab, looking into the illuminated room.

"..." She pushed the door open sharply, and took in a deep and sudden breath - before feeling all of it leave her. This image before her was both breathtaking and mystifying, she wanted to see more, more! She fell to her knees, unable to move any further.

No. She needed to keep going. She needed to keep moving forwards. The girl had to make sure Celesto was alright. Getting onto one knee, she pushed herself up off the ground and stood straight up, stumbling slightly from the force, but regaining her composure otherwise. She leaned over a tad, and skipped forwards towards the man, managing to reach him just before falling to her knees before him. He was lost in focus, his mind deep within the circle. She looked over, and screa--

Her scream had been lost in the muffling grip of those hands. What hands? How could hands do that? They were fronds, like tentacles from an octopus. They'd grabbed her, and dragged her mind somewhere that she felt that she couldn't escape from.

White. That was all that she saw. At least, until she turned around. Her naked form stared at The Gate before her, and she blinked, awestruck by this grand item.

"He didn't have enough. He needed more." A voice. The girl turned, and saw another girl sitting in front of her, their pure white skin only broken by a mouth, Aren could've sworn that she was but a porcelain doll, and one that could break with a single touch. Aren's eyes were now steely, staring at this stranger, the defiance clear.

"You're not an Alchemist, are you? Are we simply a mistaken victim? Then I may be able to set you free without a price." The strange woman smiled at Aren, the large gleaming smile showing a strange eagerness. Aren's stared, and then looked down.

"I'm looking for someone. I believe that he may have come through... and past you." The woman's smile disappeared.

"Oh? That blonde man... belongs to you? I'm afraid that you're too late." The World motioned with a single sweep of her arm at the Gate before Aren. "He's already in there. He'll die, and be replaced by his brother." Aren's eyes widened suddenly, and the girl turned back to The World, defiance turned into fury.

"No. You lie. He must be able to be saved." The World smiled once more, showing those gleaming teeth to Aren.

"You can't bring those back who have died. At least, that's what you're told to believe. Why should I let him live? He wants to bring back his brother, so I'll let him take his brother's place. It's fair, is it not?"

"No it isn't!" Aren had stood up once more, and was staring at The World, no longer angry, but desperate. "He just wants to be with his brother..." Aren went to her knees again, sobbing lightly. "He just wants to hold him in his arms once more." Her hands went onto the ground and droplets of tears stained the white, fading as quickly as they had appeared. "I would offer to take his place but..." Aren laughed lightly. "It seems that I've fallen in love with that goofy idiot." She looked up at The World. "Do you understand it? What it feels like? To have someone that you can finally call your own? After all the time I spent running... paranoid... scared to trust those around me... I found him. And I fell in love with him.... And I don't know if I can stand having him gone."

"I love him, and I don't want to lose him." The smile on the face of The World grew.

"Are you sure? Are you prepared to stay with him forever, Euphemia Til Alexandros?" She turned to him and nodded, doubt lying within her heart, but her mind desperate for Celes' life and return to be true.

"I see. I will grant you a deal. In return for the return of his life, you lose your freedom. I ask you again. Do you love him? Are you willing to give up a part of yourself to him?" Aren's heart fluttered, and that small cloud of doubt receded. Her nod was confident this time.

"I understand. If your love leaves him, then he will die, and I will take him back. If you doubt, he will become ill. If you love another..." Nothing else needed to be said. Aren understood completely. And she wasn't giving up on Celes. Not now, not ever. The girl stood up once more, and nodded, violet hair bouncing with the motions of her neck.

"Just make sure he's alive when I get back." The grin returned to it's normal size, and The World simply nodded.

"And... who are y--?" The world of white faded, as did the girl, and the Gate. Sound returned to Aren's ears as she lay on the ground beside a steaming Transmutation Circle. She groaned lightly and looked up, seeing Celes kneeling there, still in his stupor. Aren crept forwards, and went to touch Celes' shoulder, but pulled her hand away.

That was when she screamed, and fell backwards. His arm just disappeared. Where... he had come to... what? Aren brought herself back to her senses, and crawled back to Celes, bottom lip quivering slightly. He was in pain... He looked so... fragile... so... almost dead inside. But she knew that he would live. That person had given her their word.

"Br-bro-thher?" Euphemia's eyes turned to the steam, trying to see any shape within. But there was nothing there, or maybe it was just her eyes. She shook her head, and focused on the problem at hand, crawling over to Celes, and trying to get his attention.

"Celes... CELESTO!" She shouted, but her voice wavered - and it was lost to the silence. Even though she knew that he was going to be okay, she still couldn't help but wonder... who was that mysterious white shape?

"I am The World. I am God."

[Guest]

It had been so dark... for far too long. He'd begun to grow tired of this existence, and his brother's previously accidental attempt to bring him back had sent him further into the darkness. The body sighed in his eternal prison, looking around him to see everything that was going on, well sort of. There were people squirming here, some relaxing there - really, it was quite boring. He'd spent the last thirteen years bored out of his mind; mind you, it was his fault that he was here in the first place, but there was no need for him to punish himself for it.

He should try relax, enjoy this place. But even if he hadn't lost his sense of humour - or his concept of time - he'd lost all other things to this hell-hole. Right now, he was simply a sarcastic shade of himself, ready to be assimilated into the primordial sea; he would become one of the rest.

No... he would resist! He would retain himself. He'd retained his mind for the past thirteen years, why wouldn't today be the day that he was released? The black mess chuckled, before taking the form of a blonde-haired, blue-eyed man. This was who he was, right? He wouldn't lose sight of that, no matter what. But... would he really be released? There was no way that Celes would try again, right? Not after almost losing his soul to nothing the first time?

"KARIS!!!!!!!!!!!!" He had been hearing that for a while, now. But he had been certain that it was just the wi-- a figment of his imagination... Karis closed his eyes and sighed softly. No, he was just imagining things with what little personality he had left.

"I want to stand at the top of a mountain," Eh? That song... It brushed at his memory like a far off wind, and caused the man to look in the direction of the voice, trying to see if he could find the source. That voice... he was sure that he wasn't imagining it now. He tried to dig through himself, moving past ever-changing forms, trying to see if he could make his way out of here. People people everywhere... But only one mattered to Karis now.

Bro...ther... His twin. He could sense his twin. He could make it, he knew it! Only one obstacle stood in his way, and that was a pregnant woman - she had died together with her baby, it was rather sad. He grunted from the exertion, and slid his hand out from under her, feeling the cold grip of another. The sudden shock caused his body to change - he became stiff; no, this wasn't his soul anymore. His body was reforming around his soul, cells becoming tissue, muscle, flesh, bone, everything... He was... whole again, and his vision faded into nothingness, only hearing the final words of Celesto in the near distance.

"I've found him."

"Nnngh..." The man's eyes slowly opened, steam fading in from the darkness. He tried to move an arm, as he had done within the gate, and found it's response to be... less than desirable. Shaking his head, his blonde locks bounced around with him. Strange. His body felt heavier from when he'd died? Was this his aged form? Karis looked up, the ringing in his ears disappearing, finally able to comprehend sound once more. His body was still returning to normal, it seemed - that in itself would take some time.

"thher?" Only half of Celes' word had reached his ears, and Karis looked over towards the source, trying to see his brother through the steam. That... was Celesto, right?

"Celes... CELESTO!" Eh? He turned his head... another voice. Female? Strange, he could tell that she'd been to see The World as well. He shrugged it off as a random feeling, and placed his hands onto the ground beneath him, trying to contain the maniacal laughter that he wanted to let free. He was alive! This wasn't a simple dream, formulated by The World! He was actually alive!

He tried to move one of his legs, tried to at least get himself onto his knees. The man pushed himself up, and brought that leg under him. When he let his weight go, he stumbled, and landed on his chest, shouting out with a high pitched squeak. His vocal cords seemed to be returning to normal too; it seemed that they had a long way to go. With a small smile - well, more of a twitch - Karis tried again, pushing down with his arms and supporting himself once more, letting himself climb onto his knees, and then onto his feet. Much better.

He stood up straight, and looked out through the smoke, before trying to walk in the direction that he was sure Celesto was in. He took two steps and stumbled, landing on his hands and knees. He looked up and around, trying to see if there was anything familiar in this room. It was... devoid of memory. This was not their home. This was not where they had grown up...

He looked in Celes' direction and crawled towards him, making his way through the steam... And out the other side, looking at Celesto through pained eyes.

"Ce...le...s...to..." The blue-eyed man fell forwards, collapsing before Cele's prone figure. He certainly needed to get used to this body...

[Guest]

He heard his name...loud...in his ear. He shifted his face on the wood, hoping in some humorous corner of his mind that he wouldn't get a splinter. He met the eyes of a beautiful woman and didn't recognize her at first. It was only until he felt a floating feeling in his chest that he realized who it actually was. Soft memories of dusty sunlight in the kitchen--her brilliant morning smiles that smacked the slumber off came back to him and muffled the waves of pain. He had made her cereal and then forced her to make lunch. Celesto found himself smiling with pale lips, reaching out a blood-smothered hand to smear across her pristine cheek. "Hello there, Euphie-chi," he whispered, barely getting the sound to leave his dry throat. It had been years...years since he had seen her. And she hadn't changed at all. Nothing seemed to have changed, but a few minutes gone by. His quivering hand dropped to the ground beside him, void of energy, and then he heard his name again.

No...

Both his eyes widened and it was as if he had regained his sight again, only...it was his hearing. Had he been deaf all these years? His brother was calling. He tried to maneuver his body around to find the direction of the voice, but it had fallen right in front of him and back into his life. Was the impossible possible? He was alive...they were both alive. Blue eyes met blue eyes. "Karis," he breathed, tears spilling down his cheeks and mixing with the pools of blood gathering around him. It was his brother. Oh, there was so much he wanted to say. He was going to die...he only had this moment--this small moment that was a gift from The World. How long, he wondered, just how long did he have to spend with his long-lost twin? Celesto managed to pull himself up with his single arm, trying to ignore the pain that dragged its marring claws throughout his broken body. But his soul...was soaring...high above everything else. He got to his knees and dragged himself into his brother's face. He couldn't see clearly, so he got close and studied every detail as he remembered it. Was this the real Karis? He was no longer the same reflection in the mirror, but...it was Karis... He could tell just from the light beaming through his eyes.

Through his tears that further impeded his faulty vision, he pressed his forehead against his brother's and smiled his first genuine smile in over ten years. "Finally," he said, "I get to see you again..." He lost his balance that was never really balance to begin with as his equilibrium shattered. And he fell sideways and hit the ground once more. "I'm dying," he laughed bitterly, the sounds rattling through his chest, "I-I can feel it," his voice quivered, "I'm s-sorry, Karis...for everything." That was all he needed to say.

[Guest]

"Hello there, Euphie-chi," His voice was barely a whisper, and the blood-stained finger crossed her cheek, Aren's eyes watering and her bottom lip trembling. She could feel his pain now - she could tell that he was in danger. She didn't know why, but she could just sense it.

"Ce...le...s...to..." Her breath suddenly left her body, and she was left there, feeling strangely dead inside. She looked over at the source of the voice and saw a man crawling towards them. Blonde hair, blue eyes, he looked so similar to Celesto... She turned back to the man. A twin? Celes... had a twin brother?

"Karis," That was his name... Karis. She turned towards Karis and studied him further, taking in his features. He looked so similar... She had to turn her head between them a few times, before looking back at Celes...

"Finally, I get to see you again..." Her eyes widened slightly. He seemed defeated, and when he stumbled, she dived and placed her arms underneath his falling body, making sure that she had caught him. The blood from his severed arm was dripping onto her hands.

"I'm dying," Aren's eyes widened further. "I-I can feel it," She shook her head and closed her eyes.

"No, The World promised me your life. So I will keep you alive." She picked up the man, and 'hupped' him onto her shoulder, looking down at Karis.

"Can you walk? If you can, come with me. We need to take Celesto to the hospital, in North City." She knelt down and sat him against a wall, sliding the bat out of her clothing - she always carried it on her in case of Cretarians. Flicking the switch, she let the flames expand, before moving the heated bat beside his arm. Flesh sizzled, and the wound began to sear closed.

"Don't give in, Celesto." Her eyes were focused only on the man that she loved. She wouldn't let him give up, because as long as she loved him... he'd survive. That was what The World had told her. And as the last of the wound was burnt shut - or crudely, at least - Aren leaned forwards and planted a soft kiss onto Celesto's lips.

"Sssh... sshshh... It will be okay." Karis was standing behind her, and so she picked Celes up again, holding him in a fireman's grip and carrying him out of the Ship. They reached out the front, and Aren placed Celesto into the back seat of the jeep that they'd... 'obtained'.

"I'll drive. Get into the back, Karis. Keep him awake, keep him talking. I'm not losing him." Her eyes were steely and focused, and Aren climbed into the driver's seat herself, turning the key and starting to motor, before driving off into the stormy night towards North City, and towards the city's hospital.

[Guest]

"Karis,"

So it was true. Celesto had indeed brought him back. Even if his first accidental attempt at resurrecting him had failed, he had succeeded where no man had before, bringing him back from the dead. Karis... didn't know what to feel about that... His eyes were slightly widened as he tried out his muscles, attempting to stand up, move closer to Celesto - tears were beginning to form in his eyes.

"Finally, I get to see you again..." What did he mean? He seemed to be ready to leave... Karis whispered the word 'Celesto' with barely a breath, not a sound to be heard around the pair... What... why...

"I'm dying, I-I can feel it,"

"...what?" Was this the price for his revival? Was Celesto really going to die? No... No... No... No...

"I'm s-sorry, Karis...for everything." Karis cried - for the first time in thirteen years, he cried.

"No, no, no, no..." He leaned his head back and pointed his face into the air. "EYAAAAAAA--" Amidst his shout, a defiant woman's voice was heard.

"No, The World promised me your life. So I will keep you alive." He stopped, looking at Aren amidst sorrowful tears... What did she mean? She talked to that stranger of the Gate, too? He blinked a few times, letting the tears disappear.

"Can you walk? If you can, come with me. We need to take Celesto to the hospital, in North City." She was addressing him, now. He stared at her, and tried to stand again, struggling to get to his feet, but making it. He stumbled towards the girl who'd picked up his brother, watching her take him towards the door, lean him against the wall, take out the bat and light it on fire.

"W...what are you doing?!" He shouted at her, trying to get her to stop what she was doing. She was... what... god, that would hurt! He turned away slightly, not trying to smell the burning flesh, he was sure it would cause him to drop his guts and throw up.

Once she was done, she led him down and out of the ship, put Celesto in the back of a jeep, and motioned for him to get it.

"I'll drive. Get into the back, Karis. Keep him awake, keep him talking. I'm not losing him." He was astounded by this girl's devotion to his brother. He didn't think that Celesto would have someone like this... He clambered into the seat, looking at the girl who got into the front seat. A small smile crossed his face.

"You're good for him..." He then turned back to Celesto, making sure that he kept him as wide awake as possible - they needed to reach the hospital...

[Guest]

The end was so near, but not before pain had its way with him. Searing, sweltering, scorching agony satisfied itself with its glorious feast on his flesh. He didn't know when he had shut his eyes, but he squeezed them deeper into the darkness and expelled a string of sharp cries. It was burning...he was on fire. All of him was in flames--his existence turning to ashes. This was the end...and yet his consciousness would not go. As much as it hurt...he was still here, mouth open with racking breaths that ruptured him. Already bloodied nails continued to dig into the floor beneath him, scratching, tearing wood to distract his mind from the torture. And then the spikes of heat simply went away, leaving a fiery ache and phantom touches of the torment. Celesto gasped for breath until lips were thrust against him. Sssh... sshshh, it said., It will be okay. Okay? What would be okay? His bleary blue eyes creaked open and he saw Euphie there, watching him with more concern than he had ever seen before. That's right...she had witnessed everything and the alchemist for what he really was. No more secrets could be kept... This was him and him no more.

Things began to shift and move, his eyes closed again in exhaustion. He felt feet collide with the steps that weren't his. He knew because each time they touched down, he felt the nuances of pain slide through his nerves as he was jarred in the embrace of soft arms still able to hurt him. Each movement--each breath just hurt so much... Why--why was he still awake? He wanted to scream--demand an answer, but he lacked the energy to do more than pull in each shuddering breath. Before he knew it something cold touched his feverish skin and he realized from the smell that he was in their jeep. Pine and leather swirled together in a comforting sort of way... It was their car that they had stolen together... He felt himself drifting off when he heard Karis' soothing voice trying to pull him back... It was a sound that he had yearned for all those years. Finally...finally he could hear it again... But death's steely jaws sunk into his consciousness, cold solitude plunging him into eternal night. Celesto never expected to wake up again so he felt one of his careless smiles etching itself onto his bloodied lips, trying to tell everyone that it would be okay. This is what he wanted. And then it was over.

* * *

Antiseptic in the afterlife? There had to be something wrong. Ugh, yes, something was wrong. He felt like he was on drugs. Each thought was hazy--almost lost before actually thought. He struggled to hold onto to something deep in the blackness, and clutched to the desire to find out if his hunch was correct. With glazed over eyes he surveyed the rippling room. Just where was he... Who-- His eyes focused if only slightly. Karis. Oh...god Karis was there. His lips mouthed his brother's name and he slammed his eyes shut in shock. He was alive.

[Guest]

She'd driven hard and fast, the entire way to the Hospital. She'd been sure to keep herself on the road, and the three of them alive, no matter the cost. Her reactions had never been faster, and it was almost as if she knew exactly what to do to keep herself alive... No, it was different. She wasn't keeping herself alive. She was keeping Celesto alive. That was it, wasn't it? It was The World telling her. Every move that she made, was now dictated by The World. She would do it if it saved Celes, but would that put her own life at risk?

That was what Aren thought as she sat outside Celes' room in the hospital. She could feel him, she was willing him to survive. With all her heart... Aren was willing the man that she loved to simply survive, remain in her heart, stay in her arms. She closed her eyes, and bowed down to the Earth, almost in repentance.

Please be alright, Celesto. Please keep him alive...

DING. Her heart skipped three beats, and Aren's eyes were drawn straight to the doors as they opened. A doctor stepped out, and she looked up at him with worried eyes.

"Ce...les?" The doctor nodded at the croaky-voiced woman, and motioned for her to go inside with a smile on his face.

"He'll be alright. He just needs to rest. You can be by his side, now." Aren's eyes welled up with tears, and she stood up quickly, before nearly running and hugging the doctor tightly.

"Cel...es..." She smiled at him, and turned away from the doctor, not bothering to hide her feelings of pure joy from the world. She walked into the room and saw him laying there, like Sleeping Beauty, only in a male form. With a few light steps, she was at his bedside, watching his chest rise and fall with his breathing. Aren leaned in over his bed, and stared at his peaceful face, no longer wracked with pain. She smiled, and leaned in closer...

Her soft lips touched his, and she pulled back, wondering if it would work like it did in the fairy tales. Maybe... Celes would wake up now? She smiled again, but slowly turned to sadness, staring at him through tear-stained eyes. She was wrong. Why would she even consider the idea? This... wasn't a fairy tale. She turned away, before hearing movement from behind her.

"Celes...?" Her saddened face lit up slightly, and she realized it. He was awake...

[Guest]

Aren had entered the room before he could. With a small sigh, Karis shakily got to his feet, and walked in - no, limped in - behind Celesto, smiling grimly at his situation. Celes had almost died. In order to revive Karis. And Aren... what was she in all of this? She'd mentioned The World, so maybe she had made a deal with him? But that was impossible, she didn't seem like an Alchemist. She seemed more like a normal person than an Alchemist, but she also seemed to have some kind of extraordinary power - maybe he was wrong. Karis shook his head, and finally limped into the room, watching Aren kiss Celesto softly on the lips. He woke up a few seconds later, and shakily looked over at Karis.

"Ce...les..." His voice was barely a whisper, more like a shocked stutter than anything. He could only but stare at the man who should be dead right now. What was the meaning of this? He looked over at Aren again, eyes widened.

"You...I...he's...he's awake?" Karis turned back to Celesto, and walked over to him with no breathing coming out of his mouth. Was he in a dream? Was he only imagining this? Blue eyes scanned the other man, and he bowed his head, tears forming at the edges of his eyes, dripping onto the bed.

"What did you do, Celesto? Why are you still alive?" He decided not to consider hospital protocol, and instead clambered onto the bed, crawling over next to Celesto and laying down beside him, looking in the face of his brother.

"Celesto... I can't believe it..." His speech was returning to normal. He was finally beginning to return to his grip on reality. He was now sure that this wasn't a dream, that everything he was experiencing right now... was real, the truth, the facts, it was all right and perfect and good in this world. He had Celes now.

[Guest]

Celes was basking in the darkness behind closed eyelids when the bed declined to one side. That small movement sent jolts of would-be pain soaking into the hole where his left arm should be. He was thankful for the stunting of the drugs, but he couldn't think clearly because of it... A prime example would be that even after a few seconds, the brilliant idea of reopening his eyes still hadn't occurred to him. He cracked starry blue opened and was met with the blistering glare of the overhead lights. "Mmph..." But then Karis' face shaded him filled with tears and questions. The blond sighed and forced a smile onto his lips--never losing the facade he cherished so dearly. "I...don't think I've ever heard my name so many times," he laughed, wincing visibly and then raised a shaking hand to wipe the tears away from his brother's face. "Don't cry," he whispered, feeling the spike of tears glisten along the corners of his eyes. "I...I don't know, but..." He looked at Euphie who was some distance away. "I'm alive."

He was suspicious of the girl who had walked in just as the transmutation was finishing. He wanted to ask her...what she was missing. Nothing visibly was gone... Could she have sacrificed something without knowing? He pulled in a sharp breath and rested his head against his twin's shoulder. It was there...it was tangible. He was the first person to ever successfully completely human transmutation... The shock him him like a firetruck and he bit his lip no longer smiling. Karis was here to stay. And yet... he had wanted to die; it was his duty to die--his sacrifice and resolve. He felt as if that had been taken from him too. And it left him feeling empty. How should he live now...? Now that all he ever wanted was accomplished...what...now? He felt himself drifting away and clutched at Karis' clothing. "Don't...you dare die...on me again." And that was the most serious tone Celes had ever used with his twin. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep slumber, tear-streaked hand still clutching Karis.

[EXIT THREAD]

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