King of the Darkest Stars (EXO Kai ff)

Chapter Seventeen

His body was too cold. I put my ear up to his heart but I didn't hear anything. The usual steady beating of his heart was silent, empty, hollow.

"Kai?!" I shook his shoulders and felt a rush of cold wash over me. "Kai, don't die!"

He was still and unmoving. We were too far away for anyone to come and save him. My eyes started to spill over with tears.

"No!" I shook him again. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please, just wake up!"

He didn't.

I had killed the King of the Land of the Night Sky.

...

ONE HOUR EARLIER

...

It didn't feel right.

Sitting here, eating with him. Doing something so calm and normal felt benign and a betrayal to my character. However, there was something peaceful about it that made me want to stay still forever.

It was that longing I was afraid of.

I looked over at Kai, grinned, then stood up and ran into the woods. I heard him following me and a laugh ripped out of me and fell back to fall at his feet. I pushed through the woods and let my feet carry me away from him. Yet... it didn't feel like I was running from him. It felt like we were somehow both headed for the same known destination. However, as usual I had no clue what I was really doing.

I followed the song of water and came out to an old bridge. It was wood, with no railing and it looked rickety and much older than even I was. I took a few steps out and felt the structure creak beneath me. Kai ran out of the woods and stood at the edge of the river bank.

"This would be a good place to murder someone," I looked up at the trees and let the sound of the river flood my senses. "If you pushed me, my body would make it to the palace according to this current. It would look just like an accident."

"Come away from the bridge. It doesn't look safe." He held out his hand to me and I smiled and twirled around, taking a step further onto the bridge.

"Relax!" I laughed, tipping my head up to the sun. "I would make it. I'm a good swimmer."

I stood on the edge of the bridge and looked down at the fast current. As long as I didn't hit any large rocks, there was no reason why I wouldn't be able to stay afloat enough to keep from swallowing any water.

"Hey," Kai took a few tentative steps forward. "No one's murdering anyone."

He came and wrapped his arms around me from behind. Acting as a barrier between me and the rushing water. His hands linked across my stomach and he pulled me tight against him. I could feel his heart beating against my back, as if even if he didn't physically push me, his heart betrayed his inner wishes.

"It is often said nature's two methods of destruction are that of water and fire," HIs hands moved to my shoulders and I knew his goal was to guide me off the bridge, but my mind still felt it was to push me forward. "We are our own destruction for tempting it in the first place."

"This bridge doesn't feel steady." Kai moved to my side and slid his hand down to mine. He tried to walk back to the ground, but I stayed put. I smiled over to him.

"This bridge here has been here for a long time, I think." I looked down at it, the rope was dark and the sticks were stuck together with pale green plant growth.

"My point exactly." He put a hand on my waist and I took one step then paused again.

"Are you afraid?" I asked. He stopped and faced me, searching my eyes.

"Of having to jump in after you? Slightly." I allowed him to lead me another step towards the bank.

"So you think I want to jump in?" I laughed.

"Want is irrelevant," he stared down at the water. "I have a feeling you don't need a desire to be swept away by the water. Your week starts tomorrow, so I'm being a little extra cautious."

"You're insufferable." I yanked my hand back from and crossed my arms. "The bridge is fine."

I jumped up and down a few times, laughing as the bridge complained under my weight. Kai's eyes widened and he grabbed my arms to steady me. I couldn't control my laughter and double over, he gripped onto me like I was affected by some medical illness.

"I told you the bridge was-" A large cracking sound made me stop midway through my sentence. "That didn't sound-"

"You think?!" Kai shouted and pulled me up against him as the bridge snapped beneath our feet. He clung to me as we fell through the air. The actual falling part was quick, but us being ripped apart in the current was much quicker. The water was much stronger than I had anticipated and much colder. It ripped painfully at my skin and sent my spinning along the length of the river.

I didn't bother trying to swim against the current but instead slowly started pushing myself to the side. I grabbed onto a tree root and pulled myself up. I looked and watched as Kai struggled in the river. It was not as amusing as I thought it would be.

Not with a waterfall so nearby. I ran to follow his progress down the river. I grabbed a large stick as a I ran and held it out as he came towards me.

"Grab on!" I screamed out to him. He reached for the stick but missed it and continued down the river. I lugged the stick back but it was too late. I watched in frozen terror as he yelled out and fell with the rest of the water off the side of the ledge.

"Kai!" His name ripped free from my throat and I ran to the ledge. I saw him floating in water and immediately started making my way through the woods down the calmer lake the river led to. I didn't hesitate before jumping in and swimming over to his floating body.

At least he had been face up. I wrapped an arm around him and kicked with all my weight. He still dragged me down every few seconds but I managed to get him to shore. I laid him on his back and pushed his hair from his face.

His face was pale and his chest wasn't moving. I put my ear up to his mouth and didn't hear him draw a breath.

"Kai?" I lightly slapped his face. "Wake up now."

He didn't move.

"Kai, you're out of the water." I shook him but he didn't move. "Kai, this isn't funny! Open your eyes!"

His body was too cold. I put my ear up to his heart but I didn't hear anything. The usual steady beating of his heart was silent, empty, hollow.

"Kai?!" I shook his shoulders and felt a rush of cold wash over me. "Kai, don't die!"

He was still and unmoving. We were too far away for anyone to come and save him. My eyes started to spill over with tears.

"No!" I shook him again. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Please, just wake up!"

He didn't.

I had killed the King of the Land of the Night Sky.