The Lightning Mage

Chapter twenty two -Sweet Dreams Always End-

The sun rises over the frozen lake and paints the sky and it's reflection in the frozen pond a pretty shade of magenta. Keisukei sits up straight right next to me. He must have seen my eyes flutter open because he looks over at me. Only this morning I'm not welcomed with a smile. His face is still cold and his eyes are still red.

"How long have you been up?" I ask him.

"I never went to sleep." He says. Looking down at the snow.

I sigh and scoot over to where he's sitting. "It's just us now."

"Yep. No denying our fate now huh."

We sit in silence for a few moments before he gets up and gets two pieces of bread from our food pouch. He hands me one and he eats the other. Only I'm not hungry. How could anyone be hungry when the image of their daughter being shot is replaying in their mind. And the image of their friend lying dead in the snow keeps appearing to them in their sleep. Poor Maike. He must be going mad. He must be so broken right now.

"You need to eat. You threw up a lot yesterday."

"I don't really have the strength to do anything right now." I sigh and turn the bread around in my hands.

Keisukei takes one arm out of his coat sleeve and drapes the cloth around my shoulders. It doesn't quite fit so I have to scootch in a little but it's ok because we can share body heat this way. And I'd never say it out loud but it's comforting to be so close to another person.

"I don't know what I'm going to do after I return to Aliech." He says

"It'll be different. And difficult. But I believe you'll make a fine ruler of my people."

"I meant I won't know what to do without you there too."

"Oh." I sigh. "I'll always be with you. Even when I'm dead I'll still be with you everywhere and I'll still be your best friend. I'll be there when you're on the battle field. I'll be there whenever you're near the water. I'll be there when you're upset. I'll be there whenever you need me. I'll protect you."

He half smiles and looks over the lake. "I'll be looking for you then."

He gives me his coat to wear once it's time to go again. We make it as far as the beach. And after that Keisukei stops and gets off of Nana.

"Are you ready?"

Of course I-

Suddenly Keisukei is unsheathing his blade and swiping above my head. But its no use. I look up and a giant bird with talons longer than me hovers above me. On its back sits Tsuna and the blonde woman. The bird swoops and picks me up in his talons and as it flew away I watched Keisukei get smaller and smaller.