The Fire Didn't Stop Her

Cinderella Ran Down The Steps-

Everything was going perfectly. Cinder was his, and now his fiance. He knew that he'd just given about half of his control over the E.C. to Levana. But it was worth it to have Cinder, and to know she's safe.

He met her back at the gates in his gray hoodie and sweatpants. She wore her black cloak, leather gloves, tank top, and cargo pants. He thought she was stunning no matter what she wore. And loved her just the way she was.

They held hands as the strode to the marketplace, smiles plastered on both of their faces.

They walked around the booths for who knows how long. They passed a bakery booth and bought chocolate chip muffins, which weren't nearly as bad as he expected them to be. Then, they came to a flower booth, and asked her what flower she'd like. She said she'd get one herself, but he insisted. Finally, she pointed to a white rose, and he picked it up and bought it. The owner gave her a safety pin with it and asked if she'd like to have it as a Corsage. She grinned toward him and agreed.

After cutting off most of the stem, the owner placed the rose and the pin in her hand. Then, she turned to Kaito, and pinned it to his hoodie. They began to laugh at how silly he looked. A hoodie plus a Corsage was not the best mix, but he wore it anyway.

Out of the corner of his vision, Kai saw a man that he thought he knew. He had brown hair and blue eyes, and looked like he was trying to blend it. But he couldn't place where he'd seen him before, or what he was doing.

Kai later dismissed the thought, and just continued to enjoy being alone with his best-friend, love, and future wife. They walked along the other booths and told each other jokes.

"Knock knock," he said.

"Who's there?" Cinder mused. Second-Era jokes could still be funny, and they could attest to that.

"Interrupting Cow."

She took on a questioning look, unsure of where this was going."Interrupting Co-"

"Moo!" he blared. Cinder cracked up and grabbed her stomach. He lightly laughed with her, glad that the joke wasn't as terrible as he thought it might be.

He was so wrapped up in his joy, he hardly noticed the man he saw before slipping through the crowd and coming closer.

Cinder slowly ceased her giggling and they continued to stroll along.

"Cinder?"

"Yeah, Kai?"

He took in a deep breath and said, "I love you. And I meant every word I said at the palace. You're the only one who'll ever matter to me now. And you're the only one I'll ever love."

Her hand slid out of his, and he felt scared. Did he say something wrong? Was she afraid? Why was she letting go? He turned around to ask her what was wrong, but she wasn't there.

"KAI!!!" Cinder. The voice screamed his name and he knew it was hers.

"Cinder!" He ran, not sure of where he was headed.

The crowd was separating and he could see Cinder being dragged by the man he saw before. He was gripping her metal hand and straining to hold onto her, while she pulled with all her might to get away from him.

No one in the crowd dared to stop him, Kai couldn't figure out why. Soon, the man became tired of her struggling and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder. Her eyes were full of fear and sadness, his too probably.

The man sprinted to a nearby alley and ducked inside. Kai followed swiftly and did his best to catch up. He saw a ship waiting with the ramp down, and knew what this was. A kidnapping.