The Pairing That Could Have Been

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All around me, everything is white once again. The shimmering light that had been so bright just an instant before is fading away. And all hopes to see the one girl who means so much more than I could've ever imagined, my eyes can no longer grasp a hold of her, my nose can no longer breathe the same air as her… Cathy…

We may not have known each other for too long, but every moment with her had been so surreal. As if time stood still, I could gaze at her sweet face and lose myself in its enchantment. Whenever I held her, I could never conceive of letting her go.

But just as fleeting as our time together was, her untimely demise was just as swift. And the pain from losing Cathy, can I really survive this? To lose this girl who blew away all I had ever known about the world?

This pain, this agony, this devastation, it seems so unique… but yet, why does it feel like I've gone through this before? Is Cathy the only one I've loved that I can no longer be with?

No…there was someone else. Someone who I was close to before Cathy… someone I grew up with back home…

That's it… Her name was… Akane…

I've lost Akane and Cathy, both girls who I came to love… And I've lost them forever…

What's the whole point of all this anyway? To be there for someone else, and then care for them, and then love them… And all for the sake of losing what is most important in the world anyway?

I don't want this… Is this the ultimate fate for me if I show compassion to those I genuinely care about?

But I can sense another light radiating behind me. No, please, not again… who else am I going to lose forever? Don't consume me, please, noooo…

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"Hah!!! Come on, Haru, I know you can do better than that!" the girl proclaims from her mount on a white house.

"Give me a break! You know swinging a sword is just a little bit faster than shooting an arrow!" I argue back while atop my own black horse.

The girl laughs. "You've been slacking off then! You used to show off so much before we joined together. Don't be so charmed by my… Ahh, take that!" the girl counters as she swings at another enemy.

As much as I enjoy the banter, we are technically in the middle of a battle with swarms of undead. The skeletal creatures keep coming from out of nowhere, but neither I nor Maya, the swordswoman with a previously hidden flair for the dramatic, are genuinely taking this fight too seriously.

And why should we? After traveling through the ends of the world, I finally found Maya a little over a year ago. And from that moment, she and I have been a two-person team, scouring the globe for all sorts of adventures and dungeon hunting and building up our strength rapidly. All for the sake to save this world, but more importantly, to save Maya.

From the point we became a team, I couldn't hide my feelings towards Maya. It was even evident to her how I felt; as we continued to spend time together, she reciprocated those same feelings for me.

And it seems love has opened up Maya so much. The playfulness she's currently exuding amidst fighting the undead, the past Maya would never dream of such recklessness. Even with Rellik's conniving voice still inside her head, being together with me has much helped ease her worries.

And we indeed have become stronger because of the time we've shared so far. Nights like these, where we're fighting off countless enemies and enjoying ourselves, are commonplace.

Maya continues to wail away at the undead with her sword, while I try to keep up shooting off my arrows.

When the last skeleton is finally vanquished, Maya and I ease up on our horses to give them some much-needed rest. I look at Maya, and she grins as if she just won the grand prize at a combat tournament.

"Well, I guess I win again!" Maya cries in joy. "Looks like I beat you 207-93!"

"W-w-wait a minute!" I try to refute. "How could you even keep track of the count? I didn't even bother after 50!"

"You got me there!" Maya laughs my argument aside. "But it's still so obvious I killed that much more than you!" She couldn't contain her grin after that.

Acknowledging my defeat, I look directly into Maya's eyes and return the warmest smile I could give her. She orders her horse to approach me, and when her face is near mine, she kisses me gently. "That's for admitting my victory. And I have another prize for you when we get home!"

And now Maya forces me to grin. Her horse continues to walk off, but she turns her head back to me. "Don't keep me waiting, Haru!"

I order my horse to start moving as well, and both our mounts gallop off towards the north. No traces of clouds dot the night sky, so the bright stars provide enough light for us to see the path ahead of us.

As we enter a long stretch of beautiful grass fields, Maya breaks the silence. "From the bottom of my heart, I'll always be grateful to you for being there for me. I didn't know that this side of me existed, but I'm so glad you're the only person to see me as I am now."

"I'm just glad you were worth the effort… and the trouble," I respond, snickering at the end.

"Oh, Haru! Now I'll have to hold back a little on that prize you're getting later."

"What?! Please, I'm sorry." I apologize impishly.

"Apology accepted!" Maya accepts in a similarly playful fashion. "That's why I love you, Haru!"

Returning a grin to Maya, I end the conversation and let her have the joy of those final words.

As we continue riding, there is a vast forest up ahead. Maya is still in front, so she enters the mass of trees first, me following in shortly after.

I can still see Maya and her horse leading the way, so I decide to ask a question. "Hey, Maya! What's our next destination? I know we're getting stronger, and pretty quickly too, so should we try for the next level?"

"Yeah," Maya agrees. "I'm thinking the same thing. We're definitely one step closer to facing off against Rellik. Just a little bit…"

And before I hear Maya's last words, everything around me is consumed in darkness, but my horse is still galloping with me on board.

As confusion sets in, I scan around desperately and cry out for Maya. "Maya? Maya?! Where are you?"

A flash suddenly strikes me, and Maya appears in front of me and vanishes just as quickly. Yet, she is farther away from me than before the darkness began.

As my horse still races forward, the flashes repeat over and over again. But with each appearance from Maya, she is farther and farther away from me.

I still try to call out to her, to grab her attention. But her horse continues to gallop off as if my voice cannot reach her at all.

As my confusion continues to mount, panic and fear start to creep in. I may have been riding faster than I've ever ridden a horse before. Still, the distance between Maya and me continues to expand without any limits.

After what feels like an eternity, the darkness dissipates, and I can see the forest surrounding me once again. I breathe a sigh of relief, as I can see the end closely up ahead.

However, when I'm back outside amidst the night sky, I can see Maya kneeling on the ground. Her horse is far off to the left as if it had been blown away by a fierce wind.

Maya is using her sword as a crutch so she can retain some balance. Her head is directed towards something in the sky. It seems to me she knows who the enemy facing off against her is.

But when I raise my head to stare at that same spot, there is just a figure all covered in black. I can't confirm who it is, but I can only guess from Maya's reaction that it is most likely Rellik, the villain at the source of all this terror.

I try to order my horse to move closer to Maya, but the winds start to swirl too rapidly, forcing my horse to trip and collapse. Although the tumble is quite rough, I manage to escape any severe injury and slowly return to my feet.

As the winds become even more powerful, I look up to the sky again, but a little farther above the dark figure. An eerie orb, filled with a massively concentrated amount of dark energy, crackles in the palm of the shadowy figure's hand.

The wind, along with the gathering of this magical power, thwarts my movements. However, I'm still somehow able to move a bit closer to Maya. Throughout this time, Maya is still in the same position, her hair blowing out of the control because of the energy accumulation.

As I'm about halfway to reach Maya, I suddenly find myself unable to move. Even with all my strength, my arms and legs are unable to respond.

I try to call out for Maya, but my lips can't move either. I am completely stuck, and I can't think of anything to escape my invisible bonds.

My eyes are the only thing that can still move, and I can see the energy in the orb storing up even more malice. Yet, it appears the dark figure is not aiming the attack at Maya, but at me…

I struggle even more desperately to break free, but nothing I do helps release me from these shackles. I try over and over again to call for Maya, but my voice remains mute.

Maya has been staring at the dark figure the entire time, but it seems evident even to her that the orb is meant for someone else. She finally looks back, and we stare into each other's eyes.

Maya cries out for me, "Haru! Haru! You're here!"

As I remain locked in my current position, Maya finally realizes something is wrong with me. Even though she starts to murmur, I can clearly hear her next words.

"Don't tell me… You can't move… And that attack up there… It's not meant for me, is it?"

Right before the dark figure launches the orb, Maya musters up all the strength she has left and charges straight towards me.

The ominous presence sends off the attack immediately after, and I bear witness in despair of the race between Maya and the energy orb.

Maya reaches me first and wraps her arms fiercely around me. She attempts to shove both of us to the side but is unable to do so. The spell planting me firmly to the ground is still in place.

As Maya continues her struggle, I see the orb rapidly sailing towards us. Maya notices my fright and unexpectedly smiles at me.

She lifts her head and kisses me passionately. Even though my lips, also frozen from the spell, can't return the affection, this embrace with Maya seems to last forever.

As Maya moves her head back, I see the thick stream of tears falling down her face. We probably realize the truth that at best only one of us will make it of this ordeal alive, and Maya has decided who that person will be.

"Haru…" Maya murmurs. "Never forget, I love you so much, and I'll love you forever and ever…"

Maya is then slammed right into me, as the orb has finally struck her from behind, and both of us are sent straight into the ground. Her arms are still wrapped around me, as her body convulses over and over again.

My body still remains frozen, and the agony of watching Maya likely dying above me further stiffens me.

After a seemingly indescribable amount of time, Maya's body goes motionless, and her eyes are entirely rolled over. There is no doubt that Maya did not survive the attack. And the weight of her demise crushes my mind, overwhelming it with irrevocable guilt.

My lips can finally move again, and I can only cry out one word, the name of my lover. "MAYA!!! MAYA!!! MAYA!!!"

I can feel the unending stream of tears flowing out of me, and I know nothing in this world can ever release me from the torment following from this tragedy.

The girl who I worked so hard for… the girl who I gave up everything and traveled all over the world for… the girl who opened up my eyes to what truly matters… the girl who I would never share my love ever again with…

As my misery continues to spiral out of control, there is another orb of malice heading straight towards my head. As the attack lands, everything starts to disappear…

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