Negative Space (Zell/Open)

[fate]

Fate opened his eyes and found himself staring up at the ceiling. He kept staring for a moment when he realize that this wasn't any ceiling. This was the ceiling to that room, his room. His body snapped forward in one motion as he looked around the room. Posters of bands and sports stars. It didn't take him long to realize that he was... Home... Was this real? He opened the door and walked out of the room. He was catious, very catious. Last time he had been here this place was destroyed to place a shopping mall in it's place. But he was clearly walking through his home right now. "Ya better hurry up or ya gonna miss it!" That voice! It was the voice of Hope yet it wasn't in his head... Fate ran as fast as he legs would carry him, bursting out the back door and into the backyard. He suddenly stop and stared at what seemed to be a young boy with crimson eyes. The boy had to be around eleven or twleve maybe. Fate had never seen him before, but he knew who it was. It was... "Hope..." Fate walked up to him and wrapped him in his arms.

"Dude! I like ya, but not that much," He said, "You smell nice." Fate laughed slightly and let go of his hold on Hope. This was Hope. This was the voice in his head that he claimed to be annoying, but he couldn't live without now. "Fate what are you doing to your brother, Hope? Or is he picking on you again?" Hearing that voice Fate quickly turned around. Christian Lingod. She was standing right there and smiling. Fate's tears started to fall. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to kil--" She tapped Fate on the head before he could finish. She shook her head and smiled as if she was telling him it wasn't his fault. "Let's just enjoy the fireworks as one big happy family." Christian sat down in the grass and signaled for both boys to join her.

A few hours passed and Hope was asleep, using Christian's body as his pillow. Fate just stared at the two. It was the same as before except Hope was here. He didn't mind. He actually like it. This is what Fate wanted. A family. But something was wrong. He just didn't feel right. "It's not a dream Fate. This is your heaven and it could stay like this forever," Christian said softly, "But I know you. I know my son. He always put other before himself." Fate stared at the ground for a moment before turning to Christian. This was heaven? "I'm sorry." Christian shook her head and tugged at the goggles she gave him. He still carried them around. "Nothing to be sorry for. I'll watch over you and Hope. Your friends are waiting for you. One is growing very impatient." She kissed Fate on the forehead and smiled.

--------------------

Fate's body had finally broke the surface of the water with him gasping for air. He swimmed over to the side and pulled himself up to dry land, taking a moment to catch his breath before speaking. "Zell.... Don't yell too loud. You might wake more of the dead," He said jokingly, "Waking one dead person is enough." He stood to his feet and smiled. Fate looked at his shirt to see that the damaged that was done to it was reversed nor was there any blood. He lifted his shirt and didn't see a wound. He was healed! He felt around his stomach to make sure. "Welcome back Fate. Glad you choose to stay."

[zell]

She watched as his body rose to the surface. She sighed in relief to see him. "Fate..." She whispered that a bit to herself. She didn't want to scream out his name and wake him from the sleep he appeared to be in. She watches as he swam over to the surface. Well isn't he drenched. I wonder how far down he went? She watched as he began to speak.
"Zell.... Don't yell too loud. You might wake more of the dead,"
"Huh?" She stared at him a bit confused.
"Waking one dead person is enough."
She gasped a bit. "You weren't dead were you!.....Or do you mean someone else?" She was really confused at that. She watched as he checked to see if he really was healed and when he rubbed his stomach. Though confused she was, she was really glad to see that he was healed and no longer hurt by her. She was ready to go home though. She was still not looking forward to holding the burden of hurting him and everything else on her shoulders though.
"Welcome back Fate. Glad you choose to stay."
She blinked twice and then widened her eyes. "What do you mean? He chose to stay here..? What do you mean by that?" She had never heard of this planet before. Much less had she learned what everything on this planet did. She was really confused now. She was almost dizzy from it. She shook her head and looked over at Fate. What did she mean when Fate chose to stay here? She looked over at both of them waiting for an explanation.

[fate]

"It was a joke Zell," He smiled, "Nothing more ma'am." Fate did feel weird after that experience. Was that really heaven? Did he really die and come back? Or did he just dream it. He looked to Kya hoping she was going to explain what happen. Talk 'bout outta body experiences. Haha! You're still not funny. He notice Zell looking at him and he shrugged. He pointed to Kya, figuring she would have all the answers.

"He had died. The wound was too great and he had lost too much blood. These waters don't heal. It's actually a gateway to what people called the afterlife. Those who done evil things, those who are selfish don't come back. It's said that they now reside in hell. But those people who are good, who try to help others are reside in heaven or in Fate's case... Return... So in other words, Fate gave up his heaven to come back to us."

Fate figured at much. He just needed Kya to confirm it so that he wouldn't think he was crazy. Well, he was, but he didn't want to seem more crazy than he already was. "So... the water is actually the gates where you either get into heaven or denied, right?" Guess that's where that saying 'heaven on earth' came from. Even though Fate looked completely normal he was pretty shaken up by the situation.

"Yes, Fate. These waters have been here for as long as I can remember. I'm not sure why the gods would put this here, but it's i'm told that there's many more thoughout the universe."

[zell17]

"It was a joke Zell,"
When he said that she gave him a bit of a worried and irritated look. She grabbed his shirt and began to shake him. "THAT ISN'T SOMETHING TO JOKE ABOUT DUMMY!! YOU HAD ME WORRIED SICK!!" She let go and looked down. "It's natural of me to get worried over my friends, especially if they are very close to me.." She stood up and listened to Kya as she explained the waters.
"He had died. The wound was too great and he had lost too much blood. These waters don't heal. It's actually a gateway to what people called the afterlife. Those who done evil things, those who are selfish don't come back. It's said that they now reside in hell. But those people who are good, who try to help others are reside in heaven or in Fate's case... Return... So in other words, Fate gave up his heaven to come back to us."[/color]
She stared over at Kya in disbelief. "He...he really died..?" She looked back down at her feet. It's official, I really did kill Fate. How can I consider myself human..? When she said he had given up his heaven to come back to them she widened her eyes and looked over at Fate. "You gave your happiness in heaven, just to come back to this world of hurt....back to us?" If she had known that he was going to have to give up on a heaven just to come back, she would have never yelled for his name. She'd rather have had him happy, in heaven, then to be back here in this world of pain and suffering. She looked at him feeling bad to make him have given up everything of happiness to come back. "I'm sorry Fate, I didn't know..."

As Kya explained that there were many more of the waters in the universe scattered, she began to wonder if there were any on Earth. She looked back over to Fate. "Well we really should be getting home shouldn't we? We've been here in outer space long enough. I'm surprised we haven't died from suffocation yet." She turned toward everyone else and bowed to them. Yes she is very a very traditional Japanese believer. "Thank you to all of you as well, I really do thank you for everything you have done, and for saving Fate. If by any chance I could see you guys again, I would love to!" She turned toward the front of the ship they were on and looked out the window to see many different planets. I'm ready to go home...I wanna take a shower to wash off all this blood, besides....I really wanna see someone back on Earth as well..

[fate]

As she shook him, Fate just smiled at her response. "Sorry, it's just the type of person I am," He explained, "It's better to laugh and smile then to cry and frown." Maybe that's what was wrong with the boy. He rather be help than sad. Joking around was how he kept happy, how he dealt with things. "Well, that's a nice story... And what's to stop someone to jumping into these waters and--"

"The portal only opens for those who are dead. So we and even you now couldn't get to the 'gates' if we jumped in."

Well, that made sense. Couldn't have random people jumping into the waters to get to heaven. He looked over at Zell and patted her on the shoulder. "You didn't kill me. I killed myself," He smiled, "Besides, if I was died I wouldn't be here now." Yes, Fate understood that he died, but he was trying to make Zell feel better. He shook his head again as she felt bad about him giving up his heaven. "I choose to come back because I wanted too Zell. I could have easily choose to say, but I didn't want to," He said, "My real heaven is back on earth. I have to give someone something very important."

He reached into his right pants pocket for a moment and pulled out the engagement ring. He was surprise that it was still here. He thought that he would have to buy another one. That ring was the actual reason he was out that night he got kidnapped. He just happen to stop and get some skittles also. Yes, he understood he was young, but he was positive he wanted to be with Kasumi forever. Besides, you only get one chance to live or in Fate's case, two chances. "Thanks! I'll make sure i'll send you all an invite to my wedding," Fate said jokingly, "I'm not sure if we'd have any tuxs that would fit you though Rocky."

[zell17]

"Sorry, it's just the type of person I am," "It's better to laugh and smile then to cry and frown."
She looked at him when he said that. I guess it is better to look at the positive things other than the bad and droopy things. I probably need to get out of the habit of thinking of bad things and go move onto better things!" She was trying to lighten up the mood herself. If she was going to be able to see the person she wanted to see, she had better be happy instead of sad. She smiled at him to show that she was trying to feel better.

"You didn't kill me. I killed myself,"
She froze in place when he said that. "So wait, I didn't actually hurt you.....you hurt yourself..?" Without waiting for his complete answer if anything she got up on him and showed him her angry face. She growled at him a bit irritated. "FATE THAT WAS STUPID!! DO YOU REALIZE THAT THAT COULD HAVE REALLY KILLED YOU IF YOU WEREN'T CAREFUL!! I DON'T CARE HOW BAD OF A PERSON YOU ARE!! I ASKED YOU TO FIGHT EQUALLY WITH ME!!" She backed off of him and turned her back facing him. "You do not know how bad I felt for that. I wanted to suffer the worst fate ever one-hundred times for that! I hated myself for it! I THOUGHT I REALLY DID HURT YOU BY ACCIDENT AND ENDED YOUR LIFE!! HOW CAN YOU PLAY SUCH A DIRTY TRICK ON ME!? ARE YOU HAPPY AND PROUD OF YOURSELF FATE!? Now I'm even more hurt than I was earlier.." She sat down as far away from him as she could get. She kept telling herself over and over that she hated him, but she was just lying to herself. No matter what she said, she couldn't make herself believe otherwise. Even though she didn't want to she listened to what he was saying.
"My real heaven is back on earth. I have to give someone something very important."

When she heard him rustling in his pocket she turned and saw him pull out an engagement ring. She widened her eyes and gasped a bit. "That's for that girl you were talking about earlier? Kasumi Kaji I believe?" She knew he would probably say something about her suddenly paying attention to him, she almost knew it was coming. She stared at it in awe, as though she had never seen anything like it. "It's very pretty!" She kept staring at it. This Kasumi girl is one lucky girl. She kind of sighed and looked down just a bit. "Well the one that I'm going back home to doesn't like me that much. Knowing his personality I don't think he likes me as much as I like him though. Besides we haven't really even got that far in our relationship if at all far.. even though I really like him.... I don't think he'd get me something like that.." Suddenly she had froze right there. She hadn't been paying any attention to what was coming out of her mouth until she finished. "And...I just said that out loud didn't I.....?" If it were an anime she would have a huge sweat drop on her head and a blue face with lines. She stood there in a frozen stance and then finally turned around. I'm just one embarrassment after the other!! She sighed and listened as Fate offered invitations to his wedding and joked about a tux for Brute. She chuckled a bit but not loud enough for anyone to hear. Sighing again she stood up straight and looked out the window. "Not to sound rude or anything, but can this ship go any faster?"

[fate]

As she got in his face all angry like, Fate lost his balance and fell. He just listen to her as she spoke. He had no idea she felt that way. Well, he did, but he was only trying to do what was best for her. He slowlyed pushed himself back to his feet and brushed himself off. "That's just they type of person I am... I put others before myself. There was no way I was going to fight you. Not matter what I was going to let you win." He shrugged slightly and smiled. He would just leave her be for the time being. No matter how the situation played out, Fate had planned for Zell to go home.

"Yes, Kasumi Kaji. I'm a very lucky guy," He blushed slightly, "I guess it goes to show you that you can be anything your heart and mind into." All Fate wanted to be was happy and make others happy. Not a weapon. He could honestly say since he had met Kasumi his life had now formed a purpose. As Zell explained she had someone back home Fate walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Personality or not, if a guy has feeling for you he shoudn't be afraid to showcase them. You a beautiful girl. I'm pretty sure there's a lot of guys out there that would kill to be with you. You just got to kill looking. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Brute shrugged at Zell's question. "I'm not sure. You should just relax and be patient Zell. Time will fly then. Better yet, get some sleep. You two must be tired."

[zell17]

"That's just they type of person I am... I put others before myself. There was no way I was going to fight you. Not matter what I was going to let you win."
Even when he said that she was still angry with him. "Yeah but putting others before yourself isn't always the best. Consider the other person's feelings before you do something stupid Fate." She looked down trying to think of the pain she inflicted to him. She shivered at the thought of having a sword jabbed into herself. When he came over and placed his hand on her shoulder she jumped a bit.

"Personality or not, if a guy has feeling for you he shouldn't be afraid to showcase them. You a beautiful girl. I'm pretty sure there's a lot of guys out there that would kill to be with you. You just got to kill looking. It's nothing to be embarrassed about."
She turned back to look at him. "I know that is how it should be, but he's one of those kind of people who have a hard time showing his true feelings to people. He hates almost everyone except his sister. I'm surprised he even talks to me, considering I'm half demon. He absolutely hates demons, any form of them." She turned he head to the side. "I wish he was a bit more like you Fate, then again I wouldn't want him letting me stab him so he dies. He's stubborn, uncaring, conceited in some ways, he acts all emo like, he always has a hard face, he is really cold......I hate people like that!......but despite all of that, he saved my life.....and I like him a lot, for some reason.." She turned around to face Fate completely. "Takeshi Lamperouge.....that's his name......he'll probably kill me knowing that I shared his name with other people though. I was heading back to his house when I was captured and placed on this planet. I had left the hospital.....but I was heading back to him and I was captured." She looked down feeling a bit like a loser. "Pretty stupid to get caught like that isn't it?"

As Brute shrugged at her question she looked a bit down.
"I'm not sure. You should just relax and be patient Zell. Time will fly then. Better yet, get some sleep. You two must be tired."
She didn't need Brute to tell her that. She had already felt tired after the fight. All that excitement and fighting really got to her. She was surprised she could even still stand. She sat down on the ground and looked over to see if Fate was feeling the same way. She didn't want to fall asleep in front of everyone at the risk of dreaming and talking in her sleep. She didn't pay much attention to that though she lay down on the ground. She looked around one more time not sure that she'd see all of this the time she woke up. She took in a deep breath and let it out then closed her eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep.

[fate]

"I did consider it. Given the situation we were in I made a drastic decision to give my life iin exchange for your safety. The way it when about wasn't cool at all, but we had no choice. You, of all people, should understand. Did you not try to take your life to begin with? Did you consider my feelings then?" If she did believe that then she was being very hypocritical. He remembered her trying to take her life to save his. Sacrificing himself was the least he could do.

Fate honestly didn't understand people like this Takashi. Hate the world except his sister... Sounded just like some guy who couldn't get over what happen to him in the past. The past was the past. Get over it and move on is what Fate though. "Takashi... Nice. Maybe he just needs to open his eyes and see what wonderful people he has in his life. He can pretend to hate everyone all he wants but deep down no one wants to be alone." He nodded slightly as he walked to a isolated corner of the ship. He pressed his back against the wall, letting himself slide down into a sitting position. Pulling his knees close to his chest and wrapping his arms around his legs, he rested his head gently on his knee. But unlike Zell he couldn't sleep. I...I .... We really died. That's what usually happens when ya stabbed in the tummy... Ya don't have. To play cool. Just let it out. ... Maybe later. He stay silent for the time being. He gripped the engagement ring tightly. "You're okay Fare? You've gone silent. I only known you for half a day and it doesn't seem like you're one to keep silent." Brute could see that the boy wasn't sleep. Something was clearly off with him. Fate didn't bother to move a bit. He just parted his lips and let a few words pass through; "I'm peachy Rocky. I'm just ready to get back to earth..."

[zell17]

"I did consider it. Given the situation we were in I made a drastic decision to give my life in exchange for your safety. The way it when about wasn't cool at all, but we had no choice. You, of all people, should understand. Did you not try to take your life to begin with? Did you consider my feelings then?"
She looked at him for a few moments, then put her down. "No Fate, I don't. I'm sorry, but I don't remember that.." Zell really couldn't remember what he meant by that. She had always had a problem with remembering the most important and little things. Things that happen within a very small time of everything at once is usually when she forgets them. It seems like when in a short time of excitement the littlest things and the most important things alway seemed to leave her memory. Since all of the events came at her at once she had a hard time sewing them all into her mind. It's been like that ever since she awoke from the coma she was in. She kept looking down feeling bad that she didn't remember the time when she risked her life for him. She felt selfish in a way.
"Takashi... Nice. Maybe he just needs to open his eyes and see what wonderful people he has in his life. He can pretend to hate everyone all he wants but deep down no one wants to be alone."
When he said that she jumped a bit and then looked over at him. "Yeah I think I've tried to tell him that before in a way, that he doesn't really want to be alone. But I think I know why he doesn't like to show his emotions to people. He doesn't realize it but he sort of has a personality to where he likes to connect to people and easily does so. He doesn't like to get close to people because it makes him weaker and makes him feel as though he has more on his shoulders. He has another side of him, his demon side that when he comes out...he is no longer the real Takeshi Lamperouge. His demon side, since he's apart of him, probably knows what he knows. He knows some of my thoughts and memories so I imagine his demon side does too. So when his demon side comes out he knows my strengths and weaknesses. So I'm very vulnerable to him, so I'm pretty sure that Takeshi doesn't want his demon side to hurt me. So he distances himself from everyone. I think that no matter how much he says he hates demons, he doesn't wan to have his demon side hurting anyone....demon or not."

She watched Fate go to a corner and slide down the wall. She smiled a bit but couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. She began to dream about Takeshi and him smiling. Even though she has never seen him actually smile before, smirk maybe but smile, no. Suddenly his eyes went red and he had turned to the demon Takeshi. Her smile she had on her face turned to a frown. It made her twitch a bit too. Her mind was pretty much asleep but she could still hear the world outside of her mind. She heard Fate say that he was ready to get back to Earth and without knowing it she nodded in agreement as though she had heard him say that in her dream.

[fate]

Fate shrugged slightly. How could she forget something like that? Well, he guessed it was for the best so he left in alone. They would be home soon and that’s all that mattered. As she talked about Takashi demon side, Fate lowered his head. This was all too familiar to the boy. Fate didn’t have a demon side, but there was someone in him that he considered worst than a demon. Glory with Fate’s powers wasn’t something that Fate wanted to see ever. If he could find a way to rid himself of this ‘curse’ he wouldn’t have any reason to fear having friends and having relationships. So Fate had no advice or positive words to go here. He was still dealing with it. ”Don’t let it take control…” Fate said, mainly referring to himself. Glory’s main objective would be to kill those Fate were close to. If he did that Fate wouldn’t have anything to fight for and the body would be all his. That’s why Fate strayed away from people. Yet he was drawn to Kasumi and that open up the door to more friendships.

”Fate. Go look at the stars. Take your mind off of things.” Fate looked up at Brute, but nodded. Too much thinking always ended up with Fate being depressed. He stared over in Zell’s direction to see that she was still sleep. Walking to the window he looked out, gazing at the stars as they pass. You should get one of those stars for Kasumi. Those stars are more than likely bigger than earth… If you can find one in your pocket then we can take one. Three hours passed, but on earth it would have been three days total. The ship enter through the earth’s atmosphere and landed in a forest near by Jump City. ”Get off my ship,” Brute said jokingly, ”Tired of seeing your faces.” Fate laughed slightly and held his hand out for a proper handshake. Brute looked at his hand and then grabbed both, Zell and Fate, into a huge hug. He put the two down and smiled. ”Well, it’s been fun Rocky… Okay, it really wasn’t. But I enjoyed meeting you my friend. Don’t be afraid to stop by every once in a while.” The doors of the space ship opened and Fate walked out into the forest, waiting for Zell. They were on the outskirts of the city, but the walk wasn’t that far. Fate turned to Zell and smiled. ”So you going to give me a piggyback home?” Fate said jokingly, ”Seriously, I’ll walk you to your home or whatever.”

[zell17]

She sighed and remembered the pain he seemed to sort of have in his voice when he asked her that. She put her head down and tried to remember one last time but still managed to fail. When she explained about Takeshi she seemed to sit in silence for a moment as she finished.
”Don’t let it take control…”
She widened her eyes and looked over at him. "Huh?" She didn't entirely understand him. She didn't feel like he was talking to her though. She felt kinda upset about that but she didn't let it bother her.

”Get off my ship,”
Zell murmured a bit and slowly opened her eyes. She could still feel the black circles around her eyes though. She slowly stood up and walked over to Fate. She watched as he outstretched his arm to Brute. She smiled at him and then he took both Fate and her into his arms for a hug. "Rocky....I'll miss you too!" As he finally let go she took in a breath and walked out the door as he waited for her. She stared out at the trees with a dazed look waiting for Fate to give the next instructions.
”So you going to give me a piggyback home?”
She gasped a bit and turned to face him. "HUH!?" She was still about half dozed so she wasn't really functioning all that well to know he was joking.
”Seriously, I’ll walk you to your home or whatever.”
She felt a bit pink in the face but then smiled at him. "Sure but there is just one bit of a problem..." She laughed a bit and then put her head down still smiling. "I don't have a home.....I haven't for years........I think. I don't remember having a home so I just wander around. I'll be happy to walk with you though, maybe even meet this Kasumi girl?"

[fate]

Fate shrugged at her question. He would love for Zell to meet her, but Fate had no clue where she lived. "I would love for you to meet her, but she doesn't live near me..." Kasumi lived in her cave which Fate didn't approve of. Why did all these girls never have a home? It was heartbreaking. Fate smiled at Zell. He considered her his friend so why not offer her a place to say. "If you want you could stay at my place, at least for the night," He said, "We can stop and get some more of those skittles."

Honestly, Fate kinda knew Zell wasn't going to take his offer. Still, as a friend he had to offer. He just didn't feel right having a homeless friend. He looked at Zell figuring that she was still tired and sleepy. He pointed to his back and smiled. "So shall I give you a piggyback ride? You look tired ma'am," He asked, "Oh! And when you meet Kasumi let's not tell her about me being eaten by a monster and stuff... She'd kill me..."

[zell17]

"I would love for you to meet her, but she doesn't live near me..."
She looked over at him and tilted her head a bit. She was a bit more awake now, but not much. She shrugged a bit and sighed. "You don't know where she lives? Does she come to visit you often?"
"If you want you could stay at my place, at least for the night," "We can stop and get some more of those skittles."
She laughed a bit. "You really like skittles don't you." She smiled at him. "Sure, I guess it can't hurt to stay one night. And about those skittles sure......they taste good right?" Truthfully Zell had never had skittles before. If he let her, this would be the first time she tasted the candy he talks about. She sort of looked down a bit ashamed but she never really stopped in towns often. She usually wandered out in the wilderness. That is how she met Takeshi.

"So shall I give you a piggyback ride? You look tired ma'am,"
She nodded knowing she was tired and could fall asleep any minute. She walked over to him and slowly eased herself up on him.
"Oh! And when you meet Kasumi let's not tell her about me being eaten by a monster and stuff... She'd kill me..."
She smiled and giggled a bit. "She'd kill you huh? Sounds like she's pretty protective over you. She'd kill you like I was about to? I doubt I care for you as much as she does though...not to mean that in an offensive way, but she cares for you more than an acquaintance does." She relaxed a bit glad to be out of outer space and allowed Fate to lead the way.

[fate]

"Kinda. She lives in some cave. I guess you could say I see her often though..." Not often enough, but Fate didn't want to seem obsessed. He also wished she would move in with him, but she refused. He looked at her as if she said something crazy when she ask if he really liked skittles. "Oh, you haven't lived until you had skittles," Fate answered, "We're definitely getting you some skittles before the night is over."

As she eased up on his back, Fate smiled. Now he was feeling like one of those big brothers. He laughed also. "She'd kill me, bring me back to life, and then kill me again. Find her way to the afterlife and beat the heck out of me before she'd kill me again," Fate said jokingly, "That all seems pretty much impossible.... Yet I think she could pull it off easily." Truth be told, he didn't want Kasumi to hurt in anyway. If he told her that he died on an alien planet and somehow came back to life that would hurt.