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Chapter 22: Life after Death

I have decided to re-write the ending of COF, *cringe*. Some of you will like this re-write others will not because it means Kissed by Fire never happens. But looking back at Ariya I didn't see the character growth I love too see so much in the books I read. Also the last chapter was way to short and abrupt for this story. I hope you enjoy! More chapters will come, this is actually not the last one!

            ~Rose

"Why are you leaving?" Dimitri's eyes bored into my soul, I could see his heart beginning to tear itself apart.

"I..." No words came. I had not a clue how to begin to tell him what my mind was thinking. I barely understood what my mind was thinking; my mind was at war with my heart. My heart begged to stay here with Dimitri, to wrap myself into his arms and never leave. In these past two years Dimitri was the light at the end of the tunnel consumed in darkness. My heart had been denied too many things in my twenty years. For once I wanted to get what I wanted, if it was not my sister who I was giving it up for. I returned my gaze to his eyes and saw so much love for me. Me, Ariya Kingsly, the broken girl who had lost everything and given whatever she needed to succeed.

"Tell me Ariya. I deserve to know why. You owe me that much." He implored. Biting my lip I turned from him and walked further into the room not daring to return my gaze to him. Suddenly everything overwhelmed me into me, every floodgate I had built fell apart, it all began to drown me.

I fell to my knees with a clatter as my armor met the stone floor; painful sobs racked my body. The full force of Elijah's death fell upon me, consuming me, the new loss I faced. Also my paramount love for Dimitri, every part of my body loved him with every ounce I was able to give. I had thought the loss of my father had been emotional it was nothing compared to this. That had been grief, nothing but darkness but now I simultaneously felt two tremendous emotions. One so devastating the other so magnificent, all of it was inconceivable; it was too much all at once.

Two arms enveloped me bringing me into an embrace. Dimitri said nothing, he just let me cry; crying seemed like the only way to release the flood of emotions within me. I cried till I could not cry anymore, my eyes had gone dry and my face swollen. The armor that had once protected me was now suffocating me; I began to tear it from my body throwing it as far as I could. Once free I sagged in defeat, having been so overcome before was a strange comparison to what I now felt. I was empty. I felt nothing anymore, just blankness.

"Ariya," Dimitri's voice was tentative. I tensed. I was not sure I could face him anymore; my earlier courage was depleted to the point I believe it would never recover. But I had to face him; he deserved to know why I was running away. Taking a deep breath I turned to Dimitri. What I saw was a heartbroken man; he was clearly distraught over my leaving and how this day had torn me apart.

"I do owe you an explanation." My voice was rough. Needing to be moving, I stood and began to pace. I locked back up my onslaught of damage over Elijah's death, right now I had to deal with what was standing right in front of me. Dimitri stood and strode over to me.

"Ariya," He grabbed me. "Stop." Freezing under his scrutiny I waited for him to speak again. "The only explanation I need is that I love you. I love so much it consumes me. I know I want to spend the rest of my life with you. To hold you in my arms till the day I die. To kiss you goodnight and still see you in the morning. Now tell me why you do not want the same thing." His golden eyes were desperate.

"I do, I do want that. But, I can't..."

"You can't what?"

"This place, it holds too many bad memories for me." Images flickered in my mind, my father's death, Elijah's. I just couldn't. "This is not my home,"