Flowers Left Behind | Luka x Reader

Chapter 44

Memories flooded over you in a mixture of flashes. There were echoes of laughter and mumbles of conversations. There was a flash of two little girls running through a field with someone in the distance calling to them. The taller one of the girls resembled your grandmother when she was younger. The other had ginger-orange hair, a round nose, and red eyes. She looked similar to the Kwan you know, but you knew this wasn't them. This was Kenna.

The image of them changed. The girls lifted up their dress skirts, shoes in hand so they could make their way up the stairs quietly and unnoticed. They stifled their laughs, constantly shushing each other in between. They were only stopped when they saw someone waiting for them at the very top.

'Kwan!'

A pair of deep red glowing eyes, short red-orange hair, tan skin, a sharp nose, and a crooked smile that screamed mischief. They had a flame tattoo on their collarbone that resembled the design of the pendant.

'Now what sort of trouble did you little birdies got into this time?'

Another wave of memories. The girls grew older with every passing one. You saw them hide from tutors, attend old fancy parties, sit through meetings, and have everyday conversations with family and friends - some of which resembled the other thread-makers you met. You saw your grandmother meet her soulmate in this life while buying flour. You saw Kenna bump into Owen in the middle of the street. He caught her handkerchief from flying away in the wind. You saw their awkward conversations become more familiar with time. You watched them fall in love.

'You have my heart, Kenna.'

'And you have mine.'

But of course, something always has to go wrong.

There was an accident in the mines that Owen worked in. He died alongside many others. It was a week before his and Kenna's wedding. He was barely in his twenties. And Kenna - Oh. Kenna was a wreck. She spent the following years suffering in pain, crying herself to sleep, feeling all sense of purpose in that life dwindle away. She was able to get out of her slump thanks to your grandmother's support.

And then war happened.

Rushed footsteps hurried through the forest. A trail of flamed torches glowed in the distance. Gunshots flared in the background, mixing in with screams and shouts. Many were yelling the same word over and over again. Run.

'You're going to be okay. Just hang in there. Hold on. Please.' Kenna placed Kwan behind a tree. Your grandmother immediately pressed her hands onto Kwan's bleeding stomach while Kenna ripped apart her skirt for a makeshift bandage. There was a lot of blood. Too much.

'It's okay.' Kwan placed a hand on your grandmother's. They coughed out a mouthful of blood. Tears streaked down their cheeks. Even through the pain, they managed a weak smile. They didn't need to say anything other than that for both women to understand.

'No. You can't - No.' Kenna shook her head. Her entire body was trembling. Kwan's smile softened.

'It's going - It's going to be okay.' Their breathing was starting to slow. 'You already know what to do.'

Your grandmother turned to Kenna. Both had a doomed expression in their eyes. As if Kwan's death isn't going to be the only goodbye they're going to make.

'I -'

'I'll do it.'

'Kenna, no. I'm -'

'You're with child. You can't.'

Your grandmother closed her mouth, unable to refute. She choked on a sob when Kenna wasted no time in grabbing Kwan's dagger from their belt. She looked down at her wrist, where a faded black and white olive tree marked her skin. She kissed it, muttered an apology, and without hesitation, she sliced both her wrists. She glanced over at Kwan. They gave her an assuring nod and she lifted up the dagger once more.