•Longing For You•

Chapter I

What have I done?

The question clouded Madeleine's mind as he stared at his hands, both of which were covered in deep, dark blood. Screams of terror rung his ears as he only blinked with no emotion whatsoever.

Why am I still here?

His head throbbed with pain as he slowly collapsed on the plain, dry grass. He could feel water forming in his eyes as he trembled, his hands lightly touching the earthy ground beneath him. With anger, perhaps, or sadness? No, this feeling.... was horror.

Intense horror, the fear striking Madeleine like a blade being stabbed deep into his chest. He tried to hold back his tears as he shuddered, gasping for breath.

Why am I like this? Why do I make everyone suffer?

Tears fell from his eyes as Madeleine jerked his head back and blinked, surprised that he couldn't hold them back any longer. He slowly looked at the corpse that lay beheaded in front of him, its head just looking down, smiling in triumph. Madeleine glanced at the once grand, shining sword that had been granted to him so that he could protect the kingdom. To keep everyone safe.

Yet he couldn't fulfill his duty as a friend, nor a knight.

He thought that he just let everyone down. Madeleine had the feeling that all of his friends hated him already, and it would make sense as he could not protect them.

My father was right all along. I was just an outcast in the family and had only been accidentally granted the Sword of Light, he thought, but then another question entered his mind.
If what he said was true, then why did the Divine still give him something he could not handle? Madeleine could not think of a decent answer to any of his questions as another explosion occurred nearby.
He was hopeless, his mind desperately trying to shake this horrible feeling of his as he reached out to hold his hand, which was cooler than his own. Gently caressing the palm of his hand, I slowly wiped the blood off my face, gently carrying him on my lap.

"Please.... say something, Professor. Don't leave me like this.." he begged, tears running down his sorrowful face as he gently gripped him tighter.

Madeleine brushed away a few strands of hair and stared at him. Suddenly, his eyes widened as Espresso slowly opened his eyes and blinked, probably realizing the fact that he was still alive. He seemed to be considering something before he leaned against him.
Madeleine, who was more than happy to oblige, realized that he wasn't going to last long. The happiness was drained from him once again as they made eye contact with each other, both of them trying to ignore the current situation.
That was, until he spoke.

"Madeleine?" He said in an almost inaudible voice. He gave him a sad smile as he blinked once and felt his hand. Holding him, Madeleine listened as he asked, "Is that... you? Why are you still here?"

He gave him a disappointed frown and replied to him in a sorrowful voice. "What do you mean 'why am I still here'? Whatever people think of you, I'm still your friend."

He scoffed faintly and closed his eyes, yet he still gave him a sweet smile. When he opened them, he could tell that he wanted to ask him something. I put Espresso in a more comfortable position and waited for him to speak.

"Tell me, if we ever meet again.. would you still recognize me?"

Madeleine was inarticulate with grief and confusion, yet he chose to answer him honestly. "Of course I would, I'd recognize you even from afar. No matter how much disguises you put on. Even if... I can't see you in the near future....."

He shook his head, choosing to not be swayed and looked at him with a suspicious expression.
"Say, why are you asking me this? Is it just your curiosity, or are you planning something?". He raised an eyebrow and Madeleine immediately knew that he wasn't fooling around.